Results of evaluation of neurometabolic and rehabilitation therapy for vincristine polyneuropathy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Introduction. Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathies (VIPN) is a current problem in the management of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There are no effective therapeutic strategies for VIPN.   The aim of the study to present the results of evaluation of neurometabolic therapy in the acute period of VIPN in children with ALL and the method of virtual rehabilitation in the recovery period.   Materials and methods. The single-center prospective comparative pilot study involved 69 children with VIPN who were treated in the acute period with the following drugs: group 1 - pyridoxine, group 2 - thioktovic acid, group 3 - inosine + nicotinamide + riboflavin + succinic acid. Clinical and electrophysiological parameters before and after drug treatment were analyzed. Among 10 children with motor deficits in the lower extremities in the recovery period of VIPN, rehabilitation with immersive virtual reality was performed, and the clinical parameters before and after the course were compared.   Results. A positive effect of the studied drugs on the clinical condition of patients by the 30th day of therapy was revealed. In groups 1 and 3 the total score on the NIS-LL scale correlated with mild polyneuropathy - 4 [2÷8] and 2 [2÷6] points, respectively. Neurologic impairment in each of these groups persisted for 19 [14÷25] and 19 [13÷30] days, which was less in contrast to the duration of symptoms in group 2 (p1-2 = 0.021 and p2-3 = 0.046). In the VIPN recovery period before and after virtual rehabilitation: muscle strength in the lower limbs increased (p = 0.025); the severity of polyneuropathy decreased according to the NIS-LL scale (p = 0.003); balance improved according to the Berg scale (p = 0.017); and patients’ mobility increased according to the Functional Walking Category test (p = 0.025) and walking speed according to the time-recorded walking test (p = 0.008).   Discussion. Improvement of clinical parameters with neurometabolic therapy and virtual rehabilitation in children with VIPN has been shown.   Conclusion. Preliminary results of the effectiveness of pyridoxine and inosine + nicotinamide + riboflavin + succinic acid in the acute period of VIPN in children with ALL and the method of virtual rehabilitation in the recovery period were obtained.