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Ultrasound-guided refilling of an intrathecal baclofen pump--a case report
Tsui-Fen Yang1, Jia-Chi Wang, Jan-Wei Chiu
1Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan 11217, Republic of China. tfyang@vghtpe.gov.tw
Introduction:
Refilling intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps can be difficult because many patients gain excessive weight after implantation due to their reduced expenditure of energy on muscle spasticity.
Methods:
We report a case of a 12-year-old girl with spastic quadriplegia who gained 20 lbs after pump implantation. It was necessary to identify the access port of her pump by ultrasonography during drug refilling so as to avoid multiple needle punctures.
Results:
The access port of the pump was readily visible by ultrasonography and stood out from other parts of the pump.
Conclusion:
Localisation of the access ports of ITB pumps by ultrasonography proved to be a feasible and easy technique for refilling the drug reservoir in patients with excessive weight gain and abundant subcutaneous fat after ITB therapy.
