Intrathecal baclofen therapy for spasticity of cerebral origin: cerebral palsy and brain injury

Spasticity affects approximately 66% of individuals with cerebral palsy and 14% of the 100,000 individuals who, each year, experience brain injury in the US. This spasticity interferes with motor function and limits range of motion. It may cause pain and impede mobility, transfers, activities of daily living, sitting posture, and sleep. In addition, spasticity can contribute to the formation of pressure sores and joint contractures and make nursing or caregiving difficult. Several treatment options are available for intractable spasticity. For some diagnoses, oral medications are still the treatment of choice, while in other settings injection therapy may be more appropriate. If, however, they are ineffective or cause too many side effects, intrathecal baclofen therapy (ITB) may be a valuable alternative. ITB is effective, nondestructive, titratable, and reversible. In addition, it is associated with fewer CNS-related side effects than oral Lioresal (Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland). Intrathecal baclofen therapy may improve range of motion, facilitate movement, reduce the patient's expenditure of energy, facilitate nursing, reduce the risk of developing contractures, and, in some cases, diminish pain resulting from spasticity and/or spasms. It also may improve speech, gait, upper extremity function, and activities of daily living, including communication, eating, dressing, hygiene, and other aspects of self-care. A recent study shows that treatment with intrathecal baclofen reduces the need for corrective orthopedic surgeries. Patient selection should be done in a multidisciplinary spasticity setting, where the expertise for different treatment modalities is available. Patients must be screened for response to the drug prior to implantation of the drug delivery pump. Maintenance doses for intrathecal baclofen range from 22 to 1400 μg/day, with most patients adequately maintained on 90-703 μg/day. Complications, while rare, are most often related to the drug delivery catheter. Intrathecal baclofen treatment may be cost effective, primarily due to a reduced need for hospitalizations and treatment of adverse events related to uncontrolled spasticity, and may improve quality of life. Intrathecal baclofen shows long-term efficacy in both higher and lower level patients with cerebral origin spasticity.