Research was conducted with 38 children with severe spastic cerebral palsy and the use of intrathecal baclofen (ITB). Twenty children were assessed before receiving the ITB and at 9 and 18 months post ITB. The remaining 18 children waited 9 months to serve as a control period for the two groups. The results indicated the following:
- no significant changes in either group on the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory
- no significant changes on the Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire in either group
- no change in the cost of new equipment in either group
When comparing the two groups during the first 9 month period when group 1 received the ITB but group 2 had not yet received the ITB the following was noted:
- significant difference between the two groups on the Modified Ashworth Score, the Penn Spasm score, mean range of motion and Caregiver Questionnaire
The researchers concluded that ITB in children with severe spastic cerebral palsy demonstrated improved quality of life in terms of comfort and ease of care. ITB did not appear to affect function, participation in society or cost of equipment.
Reference: Miller F. The effects of continuous intrathecal baclofen infusion in non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2011 Jun 27. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.04026.x. [Epub ahead of print]
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this information. About 13 years ago my daughter had the trial for the pump and it appeared to have some benefit, but I declined to have it implanted for several reasons. Since then, I feel that my caution was well-founded. I've only had a handful of patients who had the pump implanted, and I felt that only one had any possible benefit from it. One had terrible medical complications and the others actually were more difficult to care for, especially in terms of transfers. (Increased tone/spasticity in extensors does have its benefits when it comes to being able to pivot transfer. After the ITB procedure the kids were unable to bear weight on their LEs, which resulted in caregivers having to do a total lift.)
Thank you for your first hand account experiences. It is helpful to read.
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