Does botox cause atrophy or hypertrophy following injections for cerebral palsy? What does the data say?

Is there atrophy, hypertrophy both? Does it matter? Having injected since 2000, I agree with the observation that early and aggressive botox  with multilevel tendon lengthening at an older age reduces crouch gait. Careful injection placement with an experienced practitioner is probably the wisest choice. JR

Atrophy and hypertrophy 

following injections of 

botulinum toxin in 

children with cerebral palsy

1. Tandy Hastings-Ison¹ and
2. H. Kerr Graham²

Article first published online: 16 JUL 2013

DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.12231

Since the first report of the use of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) in the management of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in this journal almost 20 years ago, the drug has been licensed in many countries. It is now widely used and considered by many to be a ‘standard of care’.[1] With more widespread use has grown an appreciation of both its benefits and risks, leading to an urge for caution. Fortunately, serious adverse events and deaths following injection of BoNT-A are rare and preventable so long as risk factors which reside within the child are recognized and appropriate dose and administration guidelines are observed.

However, a more insidious and silent problem may be post-injection muscle atrophy, reported by Williams et al.[2] In contrast to the alarming reports from animal studies, which include substantial reductions in muscle mass and force generation,[3] the results in children with CP are quite different and broadly reassuring. Williams et al. report a study of 15 children, aged 5 to 11 years with spastic diplegia, at Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I and II, who received injections of BoNT-A to the gastrocnemius muscles in both lower limbs, and in some patients to the medial hamstring muscles when clinically indicated. Muscle volumes were computed from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Mimics software at 2 weeks prior to injection and 5 weeks post-injection. Although the volume of the gastroc soleus muscle group remained unchanged, there was a 5% reduction in gastrocnemius muscle volume and a 4% increase in soleus volume following BoNT-A injection. In addition, significant quadriceps hypertrophy was also found, interestingly only in the group who did not receive injection to the hamstring muscles. The atrophy of the gastrocnemius is much smaller than that reported in rabbit quadriceps and is consistent with the known effects of the toxin. The hypertrophy of the soleus and the quadriceps is a novel finding and may represent a compensatory strategy secondary to muscle and/or nervous system plasticity. Importantly, there was no evidence of impaired function in the injected children.[2]

What does this mean for the practicing clinician? Firstly, with appropriate injection techniques, atrophy of the target muscle is reasonably limited and may to some degree be compensated for by hypertrophy in neighbouring muscles. However, given that spastic diplegia is associated with a 22% smaller medial gastrocnemius muscle volume as part of the natural history,[4] any additional atrophy would be a matter for concern. Furthermore, new evidence has found medial gastrocnemius growth rate to be slower in children with CP compared with typically developing peers, with a further 60% reduction following BoNT-A injection.[5]

Obtaining serial MRI is difficult in younger children because of compliance issues and expense. The authors and the children in the study should be congratulated on completing this demanding protocol. As always, more studies, larger numbers, and longer-term follow-up hold the key to improved understanding of the muscle responses in growing children to injections of this widely used therapy. How much BoNT-A and how frequent is not well established.

In spastic diplegia, the two-joint gastrocnemius is more implicated in gait dysfunction than the one-joint soleus. Preserving soleal strength and moment generating capacity is critical to long-term walking ability and in preventing crouch gait. In older children with fixed contractures, the most common intervention is a gastrocnemius recession in which the soleus is not lengthened and its function is preserved. It is fascinating that the results of this study suggest that similar effects can be achieved by selective injection of the gastrocnemius, that is atrophy of the gastrocnemius and preservation of the soleus. Non-ionizing imaging techniques, including both three-dimensional ultrasound and MRI, hold great promise in the understanding of muscle biomechanics and the response to intervention.[4, 5]

Finally, it is important to consider the broader context of gait management in children with spastic diplegia in the first decade of life.

Prior to the introduction of BoNT-A, gastrocsoleus lengthening was often utilized in very young children with spastic diplegia.  This resulted in an alarming degree of progressive crouch gait which in many cases resulted in more functional disability and required more complex surgical reconstruction than the original equinus gait problem.

With the introduction of BoNT-A injections to the gastrocsoleus, followed by multilevel surgery at an appropriate age, the prevalence of crouch gait has been dramatically reduced in our centre.



Article here

Firefly UpSee, invented by a mom, helps special-needs kids to walk

A mom's invention is giving parents hope that their wheelchair-bound children will know what it's like to walk.

The Firefly UpSee is a harness that allows children to stand upright, attached to their parents by a series of straps, with their feet fastened into rubber shoes. As the parent walks, the child is able to move along with them.

Debby Elnatan got the idea when her 19-year-old son Rotem, who was born with cerebral palsy, was a toddler.

"He cried almost the entire first year and one day his physical therapists looked at us and said, 'Your child doesn't know what his legs are,'" the Israeli-born Elnatan explains in a video on fireflyfriends.com. Doctors told her that Rotem should not be encouraged to walk or crawl, for fear of making his muscle spasms even worse.

Devastated by Rotem's diagnosis, Elnatan went against the doctors' recommendations and tried to find a way for her son to experience walking.

“I understood that Rotem’s sitting in a carriage was not going to get him far,"she told Today.com. "Disobeying his therapists’ recommendations, I started to facilitate Rotem 'behind their backs.'"

WILLIAM CHERRYBethany Watson, 3, stands in the new Firefly Upsee next to Debby Elnatan, who invented it.

“I wanted to be standing upright while Rotem was upright and I wanted Rotem’s hands free for play and exploration.”

It took time and practice for Rotem to be able to walk for more than a few seconds. But eventually, mother and son were able to walk together at home and on errands and outings. Elnatan used the device with her son until he was 7 years old, refining it as he grew.

For the past several years, Elnatan has been working on bringing her invention to market in order to help other parents. It is now being produced by Leckey, a company in Northern Ireland, and will be for sale online starting April 7.

A group of 20 families have been trying out the device for the past three months.

"For the first time, we can do so many things as a family," Stacy Warden of Ireland, who used the UpSee with her 5-year-old son Noah, told ABC News.

WILLIAM CHERRY/PHOTO-WILLIAM CHERRYA child 'walks' with her father using the Firefly UpSee.

“He laughs and giggles, something he doesn’t do with other walking devices, which he sees as work.”

The UpSee costs $540 and is meant for children ages 3 to 8. Elnatan will host a series of webinars this week in which therapists and parents will discuss using the device.

Link to article HERE

CEREBRAL PALSY: STRONG BONES, HEALTHY KIDS

Take away points on CP and bone mineral density - ask your neurologist. 

• Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have low bone mineral density, which means their bones are weak and at increased risk for fragilityfractures.

•  In order  to learn more about how to improve bone mineral density and prevent  fragility  fractures, a group of researchers  from Canada and  the USA conducted a systematic(review and created a clinical(practice(guideline for parents and health care providers. 

•  There is insufficient evidence to say that weight-bearing activities improve bone mineral density or prevent fractures. Still, given the safety and other  benefits of these activities, a physiotherapy consult is indicated in children with CP.

•  Calcium and vitamin D are possibly  effective in  improving  bone mineral  density,  but  there is  not  enough  evidence  to  say  vitamin  D  and  calcium prevent  fragility  fractures. Recommended daily intakes of calcium are available  for children and can be used in children with CP as well. Vitamin D  supplementation is recommended at doses of 800-1000IU daily. Blood-work and urine tests should be done at baseline and at 6-12 months. 

•  Bisphosphonates are probably effective in improving bone mineral density in children with CP and reducing fragility fractures in children who have  had fractures in the past. Given the risk of adverse effects and lack of information on the long term impact of bisphosphonates, consultation with a bone  health specialist and consideration of bisphosphonates is recommended only after the child with CP sustains a fragility fracture. 

•  DXA scans are recommended only following a fragility fracture.

Future research that evaluates osteoporosis interventions that are appropriately powered for fragility fractures as a primary outcome is critically  important  to inform  practice.  Population based studies  are  also  required  to  obtain more  accurate  information  on  prevalence  rates  of  low  bone mineral density and fragility fracture in children with CP, as well as their impact on pain and quality of life. 

article here

Botox helps 3-year old with cerebral palsy walk

This article discusses the beneficial effect botox injections had for a 3 year old with cerebral palsy. The botox injections helped him walk for the first time.

Brave tot Aiden Farrell has taken his first steps after having Botox injections in his legs.

3-year-old Aiden was born with crippling cerebral palsy and his muscles tightened up so much so he was unable to straighten his legs without pain.

The toddler's parents Sara and Gevun scoured the Internet for treatment and discovered that Botox could be the answer.

The injections, most commonly used cosmetically to prevent wrinkles, work for Aiden by unblocking nerve impulses which restrict his movement.

Mom of four Sara, 31, said: "Seeing Aiden take his first steps is something I never dreamed would be possible.

"I noticed as soon as we got home after having the treatment the difference was amazing.

"Usually he would sit on the sofa with his legs bent up but his legs were normal, like ours would be when we sit on the sofa.

"It may sound unusual but if it helps my little boy walk I do not care.

"It is about trying to build up strength in his length and walk more. He is using muscles he has never used before.

"The difference in mobility is unbelievable."

Aiden has suffered health problems all his young life after being born prematurely at 29 weeks.

He weighed just 3 lbs. and had to be kept alive on a ventilator.

Full time mom Sara and builder Gevun of Hampshire, UK, first feared there could be something seriously wrong with him when he struggled to sit up aged eight months.

Sara added: "When I was told Aiden had cerebral palsy we grieved every day, especially because we have other children and could see them running around the house.

"It was difficult because we wanted Aiden to do the same things they could do.

"Over time his legs tightened up so much he was unable to straighten them. He would cry with any physiotherapy exercises he was given to strengthen his legs.

"I felt useless because all I could do was massage them to make his pain go away."

After Sara and Gevun read about the Botox treatment online Aiden was placed on an 18-month waiting list and in 

December last year was given 12 injections, two in each of his calves, hamstrings and groin.

The family were told there was only a 50 per cent chance of it being successful.

Sara added: "I was really nervous taking him to the hospital that morning.

"When it's your own child you really want it to work but of course you have your doubts about what will happen if it doesn't.

"He was put to sleep and we were originally told he would be down for four minutes but it was an hour by the time we got called to see him.

"But when we did he asked for a sausage roll - which made everyone laugh."

The unconventional treatment has had a life-changing effect on the family.

For the first time Aiden is able to stand, walk with his legs straighter on his walking frame, stand with his legs apart and even take a few steps on his own.

Sara was finally able to fulfil her dream of being able to push toy cars through his legs, like she had done with her other children.

Botox uses tiny amounts of botulinum toxin, derived from the bacteria that cause botulism food poisoning.

The deadly nerve agent kills by paralysing the muscles used for breathing.

In tiny doses it relaxes the contraction of muscles in some people with cerebral palsy by blocking nerve impulses.

This allows better control of movement and reduces the risk of muscle and tendon shortening. The effects last between four and six months.

The family are now hoping Aiden will be eligible for selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery - a five-hour operation which will cut the nerves in his lower back and provide a permanent cure.

Read more here

Botox and how it helps cerebral palsy, chronic migraines, and excessive sweating

This article discusses how botox can help ease symptoms of cerebral palsy, chronic migraines, excessive sweating, and other conditions.

Botox isn’t reserved solely for reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

The most potent naturally occurring neurotoxin known to man can be used to treat symptoms of medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, chronic migraines and excessive sweating.

And it’s effective.

“It’s just like with many other medications that are actually poisons – it’s how we use them and where we use them that make the difference,” says Sanford Health’s Dr. William Klava.

Although Botox isn’t a “cure” for any of these conditions, it can prevent the social embarrassment of excessive underarm sweat, reduce hours of work missed because of migraine pain, and improve a young athlete’s pitching stance.

Cerebral palsy

Klava says Botox almost revolutionized the care of children with cerebral palsy because it forces muscle relaxation and improves limb function.

Symptoms include spastic movement of the arms and legs and sudden muscle stiffness and contraction caused by miscommunicated signals between the brain and the limbs.

Botox interrupts the communication between the spinal cord and the nerves, which stops the sudden jerking movements.

“When I use it, I’m relaxing the muscle so the child can stretch out better and achieve motor functions and activities that they couldn’t achieve because certain muscles were too tight or too spastic,” Klava says.

He’s used it on kids as young as 2 months and adults as old as 90, and results typically last between four and six months.

“One of the beauties of it as a medication is that if the result you get is not exactly what you want, don’t worry, because it wears off,” he says.

Although it can be used “almost anywhere you have muscle,” Klava says it’s most commonly used in cerebral palsy patients’ bicep, forearm, hamstring and calf muscles.

“We keep expanding what we utilize it for and how we utilize it as we gain more experience with it,” he says.

Chronic migraines

Last spring, after reading an article in The Forum about Botox treatment for migraines, Sara Eeg of Greenbush, Minn., asked her doctor if she was a candidate.

The 36-year-old mother of four had suffered from chronic migraines for as long as she could remember, and she’d tried everything, including anti-seizure medication.

“My headaches were just constant. I would have a headache when I woke up in the morning, and I’d have a headache when I went to bed at night,” she says.

So far, Eeg has had three series of injections spaced three months apart.

“Each time I’ve gotten the injections, the pain relief has lasted longer and longer, whereas the first time it kind of wore off after a while,” she says.

She says the shots – 29 the first time, then 31 and most recently 33 – “just pinch a little.”

“The benefits are way worth it. I told her the other day, ‘I would do it every week if I could,’ ” Eeg says of the treatments with Dr. Cynthia Knutson.

Since she started treatment, Eeg says she’s had more energy, she’s more focused, and she’s more interested in life.

“It’s unreal. I feel like I’m better at everything,” the home care administrator says. “My brain isn’t so focused on hurting.”

Knutson, a neurologist with Sanford Health in Fargo, says she’s been seeing plenty of new chronic migraine patients seeking Botox treatment.

“I do Botox one whole day a week, and I’m actually adding another half-day because I’m getting more requests,” she says.

Chronic migraine patients develop a lot of tension in the head, neck and shoulder muscles, and when Botox injections relax those muscles, the headache pain fades.

Injections go in the forehead, above the ears, along the base of the skull, at the top of the neck and into the top of the shoulders.

“It doesn’t work for everybody, but it works for a large majority of patients who have this type of migraine,” Knutson says.

Excessive sweating

Dr. Yulia Khan, dermatologist with Sanford Dermatology & Laser Clinic, says Botox is a last-resort treatment for hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating.

“A lot of people say it’s lifesaving because they’ve tried a lot of different things,” she says.

The injections – usually about 20 – into the superficial layer of the skin in the underarms (and sometimes the forehead, back of the head, hands or feet) stop most sweating at the site for six to eight months at a time.

“With each repeated treatment, that period extends more and more,” Khan says.

Results are reversible, so sweating returns over time, and most hyperhidrosis patients know when they’re due for an appointment.

“Instead of affecting muscles, like in the case of spasticity, or for cosmetic rejuvenation, it works on the nerves that affect the sweat glands,” she says.

Most of Khan’s patients, both male and female, are between the ages of 15 and 35.

“It tends to be younger adults because excessive sweating becomes more prominent after puberty,” she says.

Other uses of Botox

• Crossed eyes

• Eye twitching

• Gummy smile

• Teeth grinding

• Vocal cord dysfunction

• Urinary incontinence or overactive bladder

Read more here

Botox Used to Help Cerebral Palsy Patients

This article discusses how botox is used to help relax muscles in cerebral palsy patients.

Many people associate Botox with wrinkle treatment, but the medicine is also used to treat migraines and neck pain.

Doctors at East Tennessee Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center have used it to help children with cerebral palsy.

Dr. Nadine Trainer has been giving Brad Gandy injections in his legs. The Madisonville teen has cerebral palsy and started getting Botox injections when he was only three years old.

"It's extremely helpful," Brad said. "When I was younger I used to cry a lot more because I wasn't ready for it, I guess. But now as you get older, you start to think of what this really does for you."

Botox makes Brad more comfortable in his wheelchair.

"It has been the very best thing for us," Brad's mother, Sandra, said. "His legs would be extremely tight and then after he would have the shot, after about two or three weeks, then they were much more relaxed."

Unlike cosmetic use which typically lasts a few months, Botox therapy in patients with spastic muscles can last much longer between injections.

"If I change a muscle that's preventing the arm to move, for example, and now that muscle is loose, I don't necessarily have to re-inject them in three months, or four months, or a year later," Dr. Trainer said. "You have to know what you're injecting, why you're injecting it, and what your goals are."

Not everyone with stiff or spastic muscles is a candidate for Botox therapy. But the treatment has worked well for David Nuyen, another cerebral palsy patient who receives injections in his arms.

Dr. Trainer has been using Botox on patients for about 15 years. She likes the results and said there are no serious side effects.

Read more here

Salivary gland botulinum toxin injections for drooling in children with cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disability: a systematic review

I have been using this modality of treatment for many years. My clinical observation is that it is effective with few severe side effects.  I have been counting the decrease in the number of bibs  or  shirt changes  as well because it is hard to quantify the response. JR

Salivary gland botulinum toxin injections for drooling in children with cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disability: a systematic review

Aim  The aim of this paper was to systematically review the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections to the salivary glands to treat drooling in children with cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disability.

Method  A systematic search of The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), EMBASE, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) was conducted (up to 1 October 2011). Data sources included published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective studies.

Results  Sixteen studies met inclusion criteria. Three outcome measures support the effectiveness of BoNT for drooling. One RCT found an almost 30% reduction in the impact of drooling on patients’ lives, as measured by the Drooling Impact Scale (mean difference −27.45; 95% confidence interval [CI] −35.28 to −19.62). There were sufficient data to pool results on one outcome measure, the Drooling Frequency and Severity Scale, which supports this result (mean difference −2.71; 95% CI −4.82 to −0.60; p<0 .001=".001" 2="2" 41="41" a="a" adverse="adverse" because="because" bibs="bibs" but="but" day.="day." early="early" events.="events." events="events" from="from" in="in" incidence="incidence" inconsistently="inconsistently" number="number" observed="observed" of="of" one="one" p="p" per="per" ranged="ranged" reduction="reduction" reported.="reported." required="required" significant="significant" terminated="terminated" the="the" there="there" to="to" trial="trial" was="was">

Interpretation  BoNT is an effective, temporary treatment for sialorrhoea in children with cerebral palsy. Benefits need to be weighed against the potential for serious adverse events. More studies are needed to address the safety of BoNT and to compare BoNT with other treatment options for drooling.

 link here

Long-term Treatment Outcomes of Children&Adolescents who have Cerebral Palsy with Secondary Osteoporosis.

Editor's Note:  I start screening my most severe patients and teenagers for osteoporosis when treating cerebral palsy. JR

Curr Med Res Opin. 2012 May;28(5):737-47. Epub 2012 Apr 18.

Long-term outcomes of children and adolescents who had cerebral palsy with secondary osteoporosis.

Iwasaki T, Nonoda Y, Ishii M.

Source

Kitasato University School of Medicine , Sagamihara , Japan.

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To investigate the long-term efficacy and index of treatment with vitamin D alone or with a bisphosphonate in children and adolescents who have cerebral palsy (CP) with secondary osteoporosis. Research design and methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with CP and secondary osteoporosis were analyzed for 5 years, and the efficacy of treatment was compared. Treatment was divided into three groups: The monotherapy group, consisting of patients taking only alfacalcidol (0.03 µg/kg/day); the polytherapy group, consisting of those taking alfacalcidol and risedronate (0.05 mg/kg/day); and the control group, consisting of patients who discontinued taking their medications for reasons unrelated to these therapies. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone-specific alkaline phosphate (BAP), and N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTX/Cr) were measured on each patient just before and at discontinuation of treatment, after 6 months, and again at 1 and 3 years, respectively. The changes in BMD (ΔBMD), BAP (ΔBAP), and NTX/Cr (ΔNTX/Cr) were evaluated at these intervals, because the normal value of each parameter varies over time during childhood. Results: ΔBMD significantly increased in the polytherapy group at ≥1 year (p = 0.006), and the difference in BMD between the polytherapy and the control groups at ≥1 year was also significant (p = 0.005). ΔBAP was increased in the monotherapy and polytherapy groups at ≥1 year (p = 0.021 and p = 0.033). ΔNTX/Cr decreased in the polytherapy group at ≥1 year, which was consistent with the polytherapy group of the period from 1 month to 1 year (p = 0.033). The relation between ΔBMD to ΔBAP was a positive correlation in the second period in the monotherapy group (r = 0.46). And the relations between ΔBMD to ΔNTX/Cr were not recognized negative correlations in the monotherapy and polytherapy groups. Thus, ΔBMD reflected ossification of secondary osteoporosis in patients with CP, and ΔBAP and ΔNTX/Cr was significantly related to the increase and decrease of ΔBMD. There were no effects of other factors except sexual maturity. Limitations of this study include that each index of examination was the evaluation according to rate of change. Therefore, the results of this study were limited to longitudinal evaluations. Conclusion: Evaluation according to ΔBMD and both methods of monotherapy and polytherapy were useful for CP patient taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and regardless of sex. Especially, polytherapy for longer than 1 year led to improvement in BMD in children who had CP with secondary osteoporosis. BAP and NTX/Cr were useful for the index of the progression osteoporosis with or without these therapies.

Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1185/03007995.2011.645562

Boy with Cerebral Palsy Walks to his Marine Dad Returning from Deployment

A boy with cerebral palsy was told he'd never walk, but did just that when he saw his returning Marine dad.

http://video.insider.foxnews.com/thumbnails/694940094001/2012/05/10/640/360/694940094001_1631328903001_vs-1631314523001.jpg

link here

Introducing: Pediatric Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Children's Memorial

Referral Form for Pediatric Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Children's Memorial

Stem Cell Fraud for Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy

"60 Minutes" investigates online stem cell fraud

Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University tells Scott Pelley that stem cells purchased from one of the hundreds of websites promising stem cell cures for incurable diseases could actually cause a patient serious harm. The chief scientific officer for Duke's stem cell research program spoke to Pelley as part of an eight-month investigation into the illicit stem cell industry.

In the report, "60 Minutes" cameras capture a disgraced doctor trying to sell an unproven stem cell treatment to the parents of a child with cerebral palsy. Pelley's investigation will be broadcast on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.


Kurtzberg decries the websites offering unproven stem cell remedies for what are currently incurable diseases like autism, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and every kind of cancer. She hears from patients who see those websites and has to inform them that thus far, stem cells have been used to successfully treat leukemia and a few rare genetic diseases and nothing else. "It's very dishonest to mislead people when there is nothing you can do," says Kurtzberg. "I believe stem cells have a lot of promise, but we are way at the infancy," she tells Pelley.


"60 Minutes" worked with Gary and Judy Susser, parents of Adam, who has cerebral palsy, to investigate one of the online purveyors of stem cell treatments, Stem Tech Labs of Ecuador. Such labs are offshore because what they are doing is mostly illegal in the U.S. The lab, run by an American doctor named Dan Ecklund whose license to practice medicine was revoked in Alabama, promises a "modern day miracle" and "treating or curing over 70 diseases." "60 Minutes" cameras captured Ecklund on a teleconference from Ecuador promising the Sussers that Adam would have a "75 percent chance...he would have a noticeable improvement." He would come to Florida to administer four stem cell transplants for which he would charge $5,000 each. In a Miami-area hotel room set with hidden cameras, Pelley confronts Ecklund about his intentions to treat the child.


"60 Minutes" purchased some stem cells from Ecklund's website and had Kurtzberg examine them in her lab at Duke. Dr. Kurtzberg discovered that only 100 of the 20 million umbilical cord blood stem cells bought for $5,000 were still alive. The dead cells are cellular debris and dangerous says Kurtzberg. "There are huge dangers if you inject that into someone's blood or spinal fluid because all these little fragments and debris would get trapped somewhere in the bloodstream and could cause a stroke...do a great deal of harm," Kurtzberg tells Pelley.


Adam, 11, did not get the treatments; his parents had been down that route before in 2003 when they took him to Mexico for similar treatments that produced no miracles. The Sussers want others to beware. "People are preyed upon by hucksters and charlatans... It's about getting rich at someone's expense," says Gary Susser. "And people with a special child don't need anymore expense...heartache...false promises. They need the truth and they need hope."

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57354200/60-minutes-investigates-online-stem-cell-fraud/#ixzz1mE0Et65X

The Internet is full of websites selling unproven stem cell treatments for incurable illnesses;

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394402n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.6#ixzz1mDzi7jO

video here