Medtronic's SynchroMed pump has received marketing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for use in delivering Ciba-Geigy's Lioresal (baclofen) to treat spasticity caused by cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries.
Over half a million people in the USA are thought to suffer from cerebral palsy with three-quarters of these additionally affected by spasticity. A further 100,000 individuals are estimated to have brain injuries that also lead to this condition, says Leland Albright, chief of neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh, USA. Spasticity is caused when the muscles are over-stimulated and permanently contracted, resulting in rigidity and jerkiness.
Traditional therapy involves the oral administration of muscle relaxants or, more extremely, surgery in which nerves in the spinal cord are severed to reduce the muscle contractions. This surgery is known as rhizotomy. Oral administration of drugs such as baclofen and valium is not ideal as their bioavailability is insufficient at usual doses; dose elevation can improve results but is associated with patient sedation.
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