Although botulinum toxin type B (BT-B) is increasingly used for axillary hyperhidrosis, the effective dose is controversial. We compared the antihyperhidrotic effect of intra-axillary injections of BT-B (NeuroBloc; Eisai Europe Limited, Hatfield, Herts, England) and botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) (Botox; Allergan Inc, Irvine, California).
In a bilateral paired, single-blinded, randomized study, 10 patients (7 women and 3 men; age range, 23-54 years) with idiopathic focal axillary hyperhidrosis since childhood unresponsive to other nonsurgical treatments received BT-A unilaterally and BT-B contralaterally. None of the patients had other diseases or had received previous BT injections during the past year. All patients underwent a pretreatment clinical examination and objective quantification of sweat production at rest. The hyperhidrotic area was defined using the quinizarin sweat test then measured and phtotographed.1 Sweat production was evaluated by gravimetric measure over 5 minutes.2 Patients were assessed before treatment, at 1 and 2 weeks, and at 1, 3, and 6 months after BT injections. The human subjects committee of the Department of Neurology, Cittadella Hospital, approved the protocol, and all subjects gave their informed consent.