Komplikationen bei intrathekaler Baclofentherapie

Damage occurring in descending motor pathways can result, regardless of the underlying disease, in a spastic syndrome. The quality of life in these patients depends on an effective symptomatic treatment. Intrathecal administration of baclofen (ITB) has proved to be a useful treatment of spasticity in patients with para-or tetraparesis. However, in the long-term treatment, up to 55 % of patients suffer from complications [1-5]. An internal retrospective analysis of 20 ITB patients treated at the University Hospital St. Pölten exhibited a complication rate of 30 %, exclusively in relation with the spinal catheter system. Especially a defect of the connection from the spinal segment to the pump segment was present in 66 % of the cases. Further improvement of the catheter system would therefore reduce a major source of failure and prevent surgical revisions.