TATIANA CIUREA, ANA GHEORGHIU, JEAN CIUREA Functional Neurosurgery Department of âBagdasar-Arseniâ Hospital in Bucharest, Highway Berceni no. 12, Sector 4, BucureĆti, Romania, e-mail: ciurea_t@yahoo.com
Chronic malignant and non-malignant pain requires an effective and well established treatment that is performed with implantable systems for intrathecal therapy. The devices used can be: mechanical pumps (ensures a constant flow) or electronic pumps with variable flow, the release of the bolus being controlled by the patient. Electronic pumps are preferred because they allow rapid dose determination and individual pain control. They are well tolerated and accepted by patients. The drugs available for intrathecal therapy are in line with the polyanalgesic effect and implantable electronic devices (containing the analgesic) have been significantly improved. New technologies are being developed focused on rechargeable devices and diaphragm pumps. Complications are various. The most serious are surgical, mechanical. Less severe are catheter leakage and drug side effects. These are transient effects and can be treated symptomatically. Intrathecal therapy is focused on the use of new drugs with minimal side effects, catheters, pumping technologies and improved surgical techniques.
