Baclofen Effects on Sitting in Children with Cerebral Palsy

The European Journal of Paediatric Neurology published research on the use of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) on sitting in 23 children (mean age 10 years 10 months) with cerebral palsy with severe spasticity.  Using the sitting dimension of the Gross Motor Function Measure, sitting was compared prior to ITB and following ITB.  The results indicated the following:

•  no significant difference was found in sitting before ITB treatment compared to sitting following insertion of an ITB pump.

The researchers concluded that sitting does not improve or deteriorate in children following treatment with ITB, regardless of age or severity of motor impairment.

Reference:   Natalie Gray, Michael Vloeberghs. The effect of continuous intrathecal baclofen on sitting in children with severe cerebral palsy. European Journal of Paediatric Neurology Vol. 18, Issue 1, Pages 45-49