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DOI: 10.4103/1793-5482.85638
Intrathecal baclofen therapy in severe head injury, first time in Nepal, a technique suitable for underdeveloped countries
Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) has been found to be helpful not only for spasticity but also for unconsciousness in a vegetative patient. This is the first case of ITB in Nepal, and here we discuss the effectiveness of ITB for spasticity in a patient in vegetative state. We also discuss about a simple technique for ITB used in Nepal where baclofen pump is not available. Here, we present a case of a 40-year-old male patient who had severe head injury with diffuse axonal injury treated conservatively. He went on to a vegetative state and subsequently developed severe spasticity of all the limbs. ITB was started under the guidance of one of the authors , Prof. Taira. Baclofen was injected to the spinal intrathecal space through a catheter which is used for spinal anesthesia. Spasticity improved significantly and his higher mental function also showed signs of improvement. He finally became fully conscious and well oriented. ITB is very useful in cases of severe spasticity and vegetative condition, a state of unconsciousness lasting longer than a few weeks. Even with a simple technique in the absence of baclofen pump, ITB can be used with its optimum effect.
Publication History
Article published online:
27 September 2022
© 2011. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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