What is a Baclofen Pump?
Baclofen (Lioresal) is very commonly used as an oral medication for the treatment of spasticity. After a dose is administered, the muscles begin to relax within two hours, reaching peak effectiveness about 2 or 3 hours later, and has often lost its effect after about 8 hours. This means that the medication is taken up to four times per day. The Baclofen pump has therefore been developed to administer the medication directly into the spinal fluid, where it has maximum effect. The pump is implanted under the skin of the abdomen and a computer is programmed to release the Baclofen as desired. In most children, spasticity is decreased and they have made improvements in swallowing, speech, and other activities of daily living. The advantages of the pump are that doses can be monitored very precisely with the computer, and the treatment is fully reversible. The pump does need to be refilled every few months, and replaced every 4 to 5 years. There is a higher risk of infection than with rhizo
