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Abstract
Background Spasticity and dystonia in children with cerebral palsy has been treated with intrathecal baclofen therapy (ITB) at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (RCH) since 1999.
Methods The records of children having received or still receiving ITB during the period September 1999 until August 2005 were studied to evaluate complications and side effects. Parents answered a questionnaire focused on the health and functional impact in the children.
Results There were 18 first insertions of pumps, 6 removals, and 4 reinsertions. The longest treatment was 5 years and 11 months and was still ongoing. Seventeen complications occurred in 14 out of 18 children. Despite the high complication rate and the lack of significant functional improvement, 11 out of 12 parents agreed that ITB was beneficial.
Conclusion ITB treatment at RCH over the years has resulted in some complications, mostly occurring shortly after pump insertion. For the majority of children there are substantial benefits.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the parents and their children for taking part in this study. This work was supported by grants from the County of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden and The Foundation of Folke Bernadotte, Stockholm, Sweden. The Department of Developmental Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne and the staff of the ITB program are also acknowledged.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.