Neurol. praxi. 2026;27(3):167-171 | DOI: 10.36290/neu.2026.029

The history of treatment with botulinum toxin in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

prof. MUDr. Petr Kaňovský, CSc., FEAN1, prof. MUDr. Jan Benetin, Ph.D.2, prof. MUDr. Egon Kurča, Ph.D., FESO3
1 Neurologická klinika a Centrum klinických neurověd, Lékařská fakulta Univerzity Palackého a Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc
2 Neuropsychiatrická klinika Slovenskej zdravotníckej univerzity a Psychiatrickej nemocnice Philippa Pinela v Pezinku
3 Neurologická klinika Jesseniovy lekárskej fakulty v Martine a Univerzitnej nemocnice Martin

The first reports of the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin in the former Czechoslovakia date back to the early 1990s when several patients were treated for blepharospasm in Prague. After the country's split, so-called extrapyramidal centres (or centres for abnormal movements, or centres for neurodegenerative diseases, with the names not having been standardized) were established in both parts of the country, and botulinum toxin therapy naturally became concentrated there. Czech and Slovak neurologists conducted both experimental and corporate research, which resulted in a number of interesting discoveries that subsequently led to improvements in treatment paradigms. The Czech and Slovak contribution is particularly significant in the field of research into the treatment of dystonia and spasticity, in both adult and paediatric populations.

Keywords: Botulinum toxin A, history, dystonia, spasticity.

Accepted: June 1, 2026; Published: July 20, 2026  Show citation

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Kaňovský P, Benetin J, Kurča E. The history of treatment with botulinum toxin in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. Neurol. praxi. 2026;27(3):167-171. doi: 10.36290/neu.2026.029.
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