Purpose: To compare scoliosis progression in quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy with and without intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps.
Methods: A retrospective matched cohort study was conducted. Patients with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy, GMFCS level 5, treated with ITB pumps with follow-up >1 year were matched to comparable cases by age and baseline Cobb angle without ITB pumps.
Background: Conventionally, selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) has been reserved for ambulant children and implantation of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pump for non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy. Rather than replacing the ITB pump in selected Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) grades 4 and 5 children, we elected to undertake SDR instead. We discuss the rationale and outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy for spasticity has been suggested to accelerate the development of scoliosis. We present the case of a 17-year-old female patient with cerebral palsy who had ITB therapy from the age of 11 years. During this period, she developed a severe scoliosis measuring 86° from T11 to L4, with pain due to costo-pelvic impingement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntrathecal baclofen has become an invaluable tool to treat spasticity of various etiologies. Children who benefit from intrathecal baclofen are often significantly underweight due to underlying disease pathology, and they lack adequate soft-tissue mass to effectively provide cover to the pump. Thus, in this population, subfascial implantation is favored over the subcutaneous technique in view of the high frequency of wound dehiscence and subsequent explantation of the pump associated with the latter method.
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