Biomaterial Database

Intrathecal baclofen for spasticity in cerebral palsy. 1991

A L Albright, and A Cervi, and J Singletary

Department of Neurosurgery, Univeristy of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA.

Seventeen patients with congenital spastic cerebral palsy and six patients with other forms of spasticity were injected intrathecally with doses of placebo or baclofen, 25 micrograms, 50 micrograms, or 100 micrograms, in a randomized, double-blind manner. Muscle tone in the upper and lower extremities was assessed by Ashworth scores both before the injections and every 2 hours afterward for 8 hours. Function of the upper extremities was evaluated before the injections and 4 hours afterward. Muscle tone in the lower extremities was significantly decreased within 2 hours after baclofen injection and remained lower than baseline 8 hours afterward. Upper extremity tone and function were not significantly affected by these single doses. Confusion and drowsiness occurred in two of the youngest children in the study after the 50-micrograms dose, but cleared within 2 hours. Our findings indicate that intrathecal baclofen reduces spasticity in children with cerebral palsy, as it does in adults with spasticity of spinal origin.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007278	Injections, Spinal	Introduction of therapeutic agents into the spinal region using a needle and syringe.	Injections, Intraspinal,Injections, Intrathecal,Intraspinal Injections,Intrathecal Injections,Spinal Injections,Injection, Intraspinal,Injection, Intrathecal,Injection, Spinal,Intraspinal Injection,Intrathecal Injection,Spinal Injection
D007866	Leg	The inferior part of the lower extremity between the KNEE and the ANKLE.	Legs
D008297	Male		Males
D009128	Muscle Spasticity	A form of muscle hypertonia associated with upper MOTOR NEURON DISEASE. Resistance to passive stretch of a spastic muscle results in minimal initial resistance (a "free interval") followed by an incremental increase in muscle tone. Tone increases in proportion to the velocity of stretch. Spasticity is usually accompanied by HYPERREFLEXIA and variable degrees of MUSCLE WEAKNESS. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p54)	Clasp-Knife Spasticity,Spastic,Clasp Knife Spasticity,Spasticity, Clasp-Knife,Spasticity, Muscle
D009129	Muscle Tonus	The state of activity or tension of a muscle beyond that related to its physical properties, that is, its active resistance to stretch. In skeletal muscle, tonus is dependent upon efferent innervation. (Stedman, 25th ed)	Muscle Tension,Muscle Tightness,Muscular Tension,Tension, Muscle,Tension, Muscular,Tightness, Muscle,Tonus, Muscle
D010919	Placebos	Any dummy medication or treatment. Although placebos originally were medicinal preparations having no specific pharmacological activity against a targeted condition, the concept has been extended to include treatments or procedures, especially those administered to control groups in clinical trials in order to provide baseline measurements for the experimental protocol.	Sham Treatment
D002547	Cerebral Palsy	A heterogeneous group of nonprogressive motor disorders caused by chronic brain injuries that originate in the prenatal period, perinatal period, or first few years of life. The four major subtypes are spastic, athetoid, ataxic, and mixed cerebral palsy, with spastic forms being the most common. The motor disorder may range from difficulties with fine motor control to severe spasticity (see MUSCLE SPASTICITY) in all limbs. Spastic diplegia (Little disease) is the most common subtype, and is characterized by spasticity that is more prominent in the legs than in the arms. Pathologically, this condition may be associated with LEUKOMALACIA, PERIVENTRICULAR. (From Dev Med Child Neurol 1998 Aug;40(8):520-7)	Diplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Little Disease,Monoplegic Cerebral Palsy,Quadriplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Spastic Diplegia,CP (Cerebral Palsy),Cerebral Palsy, Athetoid,Cerebral Palsy, Atonic,Cerebral Palsy, Congenital,Cerebral Palsy, Diplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Dyskinetic,Cerebral Palsy, Dystonic-Rigid,Cerebral Palsy, Hypotonic,Cerebral Palsy, Mixed,Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Quadriplegic, Infantile,Cerebral Palsy, Rolandic Type,Cerebral Palsy, Spastic,Congenital Cerebral Palsy,Diplegia, Spastic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Diplegic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic,Infantile Cerebral Palsy, Quadriplegic,Little's Disease,Monoplegic Infantile Cerebral Palsy,Rolandic Type Cerebral Palsy,Athetoid Cerebral Palsy,Atonic Cerebral Palsy,Cerebral Palsies, Athetoid,Cerebral Palsies, Dyskinetic,Cerebral Palsies, Dystonic-Rigid,Cerebral Palsies, Monoplegic,Cerebral Palsy, Dystonic Rigid,Cerebral Palsy, Monoplegic,Diplegias, Spastic,Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy,Dystonic-Rigid Cerebral Palsies,Dystonic-Rigid Cerebral Palsy,Hypotonic Cerebral Palsies,Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy,Mixed Cerebral Palsies,Mixed Cerebral Palsy,Monoplegic Cerebral Palsies,Spastic Cerebral Palsies,Spastic Cerebral Palsy,Spastic Diplegias
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004311	Double-Blind Method	A method of studying a drug or procedure in which both the subjects and investigators are kept unaware of who is actually getting which specific treatment.	Double-Masked Study,Double-Blind Study,Double-Masked Method,Double Blind Method,Double Blind Study,Double Masked Method,Double Masked Study,Double-Blind Methods,Double-Blind Studies,Double-Masked Methods,Double-Masked Studies,Method, Double-Blind,Method, Double-Masked,Methods, Double-Blind,Methods, Double-Masked,Studies, Double-Blind,Studies, Double-Masked,Study, Double-Blind,Study, Double-Masked