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Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Implantation of Miniosmotic Pumps and Delivery of Tract Tracers to Study Brain Reorganization in Pathophysiological Conditions
Published on: January 18, 2016
Baclofen pump with pre-brainstem catheter tip placement: technical note and case series
Amparo Saenz1, Miguel Grijalba2, Juan Pablo Mengide2
1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Hospital de Pediatría Juan P. Garrahan, Combate de los Pozos 1881, 1245, Buenos Aires, ZC, Argentina. amparo_saenz@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
This study aims to describe a new baclofen pump implantation technique with pre-brainstem catheter placement and to demonstrate the benefits that this procedure has in treating spasticity and dystonia.
Methods:
We described a new technique to place a baclofen pump catheter anterior to the brainstem. To illustrate the technique, we presented five patients with both spasticity and dystonia in whom conventional treatment was not effective. They each received a baclofen pump with a pre-brainstem catheter. We evaluated the results using the Ashworth scale for spasticity, the Barry-Albright scale for dystonia, and the PedsQL for quality of life assessment. Each patient was evaluated before a surgery and after 6 months of follow-up.
Results:
There were statistically significant differences in all the physical examination evaluated areas using the Barry-Albright and modified Ashworth scales between the preoperative and the postoperative period. The same applies to the results of the PedsQL quality of life scale.
Conclusion:
We presented an innovative baclofen pump implantation technique with pre-brainstem catheter placement that could be a therapeutic alternative in patients with dystonia and spastic quadriparesis for whom conventional therapy is not effective.
