In a message dated 3/14/00 7:57:59 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< I also wanted to read the article about Baclofen and can't get in there. 
Can
you copy and paste the article? Or is that illegal? :-)))

Dina >>

here it is Dina. I don't know if it's legal?
Once it has been established that intrathecal Baclofen would be of use in 
managing an individuals limb hypertonia, the surgical implantation of the 
delivery system is scheduled. In the case of younger children a preliminary 
surgery may be required for the implantation of an CSF access device to be 
used in place of a spinal tap to deliver the drug to the CSF space during the 
test phase of candidate evaluation.
Currently, the most widely used pump is manufactured by Medtronic and it 
comes in two different sizes. Both have the diameter of a hockey puck (3 
inches in diameter) with one being slimmer than the other. The larger pump 
weighs about 6 ounces while the smaller is about { } ounces. They are usually 
implanted above and either to the left or right of the belly button under the 
skin and fat of the abdominal wall resting on the sheath of the abdominal 
muscles. They are connected to a thin rubber catheter which is tunneled to 
the side and around to the back in the fat layer under the skin. A needle is 
then used to introduce the catheter into the lower back's spinal fluid column 
so that the tip of the catheter overlays the lower spinal cord responsible 
for function within the legs.
Once the surgical incisions are closed the pump is adjusted to deliver the 
drug at a rate based on the amount of drug shown to be effective during the 
trial phase of evaluation. The rate of delivery is then optimized over the 
next several days in the hospital. This is done using an antenna which can 
broadcast signals to a tiny receiver within the shell of the pump. The 
antenna is a hand held disk which rests on the surface of the skin over the 
pump. It is connected to a portable computer which can read information 
stored within the pump about the amount of drug present within its reservoir, 
the rate at which it is delivering the drug and the concentration of the drug 
as described by the physician when it was inserted into the pump. The 
computer can then alter the delivery rate by sending new signals to the pump 
via the antenna.  

  

 

Any Questions?