Intrathecal Drug Delivery Device Infection and Meningitis due to Mycobacterium Fortuitum: A Case Report.

Intrathecal drug delivery device infection with Mycobacterium fortuitum has not been reported previously. We report a case of an implanted baclofen pump infection and associated mycobacterium meningitis due to Mycobacterium fortuitum. The entire pump system was removed and the patient was treated successfully with a prolonged regimen of antibiotics.

Vagus nerve stimulation: a new form of therapeutic brain stimulation.

Although the vagus nerve has traditionally been considered to perform efferent functions, in reality it performs significant afferent functions as well, carrying information from the body, head, and neck to the brain. Preliminary studies examining this afferent activity led to the theory that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) could successfully control seizure activity in persons who are refractory to antiepileptic medications. Unlike other forms of brain stimulation, VNS is unable to directly stimulate multiple discrete areas of the brain; however, through several pathways, it is able to relay sensory information to higher brain regions.

Motor cortex stimulation for intractable pain.

Effective management of neuropathic pain is one of the more challenging endeavors for even the most experienced and skilled pain specialist. Pharmacological therapy is frequently ineffective and/or poorly tolerated, especially in elderly patients. Many if not most surgical procedures have yielded limited success in the treatment of these pain conditions.