BACKGROUND Gabapentin administration into the brain of mice reduces nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity and is blocked by intrathecal atropine and enhanced by intrathecal neostigmine. The authors tested the relevance of these findings to oral therapy by examining the efficacy of oral gabapentin to reduce hypersensitivity after nerve injury in rats and its interaction with the clinically used ...

Delta-opioid receptors (DOR) are present in the superficial dorsal horn and are believed to regulate the release of small afferent transmitters as evidenced by the effects of spinally delivered delta-opioid preferring peptides. Here we examined the effects of intrathecal SNC80 [(+)-4-[α(R)-α-[(2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl]-3-(methoxybenzyl)-N,N-diethylbenzamide], a selective nonpep...

BACKGROUND Intrathecal lidocaine reverses tactile allodynia after nerve injury, but whether neuropathic pain is attenuated by intrathecal lidocaine pretreatment is uncertain. METHODS Sixty six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three treatment groups: (1) sham (Group S), which underwent removal of the L6 transverse process; (2) ligated (Group L), which underwent left L5 spinal n...

BACKGROUND The effect of spinal adrenergic and cholinergic receptors on the anti-nociceptive effect of intrathecal ginsenosides was determined in a rat postoperative pain model. METHODS Catheters were placed into the intrathecal space of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Postoperative pain was evoked by an incision to the plantar surface of a hind paw. Withdrawal thresholds was used as a nociceptive ...

Intraspinal drug delivery (IDD) has been increasingly utilized since 1980s, initially in patients with cancer pain, and subsequently in patients with intractable, chronic, nonmaligmant pain. By infusing a small amount of opioid into the cerebrospinal fluid in close proximity to the receptor sites in the spinal cord, profound analgesia may be achieved while sparing some of the side effects due t...

AIM To investigate the effect of intrathecal anti-fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) antibodies on the mechanical allodynia and activation of spinal cord astrocytes in a rat model of neuropathic pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (Each group=10 rats). Group A: Spared nerve injury (SNI) model and intrathecal phosphate-buffered saline (...

Gabapentin decreases the level of glutamate and elevates that of alpha-amino-butyric acid in the central nervous system. Gabapentin was shown to have antinociceptive effects in several facilitated pain models. Intrathecal gabapentin was also known to be effective in reducing mechanical allodynia in animals with neuropathic pain. In this study, we investigated to see whether intrathecal gabapent...

Background. Lower-limb edema is recognized as an untoward side effect of intrathecal opioid therapy. Cellulitis, an acute, spreading pyogenic inflammation of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, predisposed by persistent leg edema, can become problematic in patients on intraspinal opioid infusion therapy. Objective. To present a case of recurrent cellulitis in an elderly lady with persistent leg...

BACKGROUND Subarachnoid administration of opioids such as pethidine and fentanyl had been proven safe but that oftramadol has been controversial. Tramadol is cheap and readily available, hence the need to further evaluate its intrathecal safety. PURPOSE The study aimed at determining the hemodynamic and side effect profile of intrathecal tramadol. METHODS One hundred and eighty six (186) AS...

Intrathecal drug delivery systems are becoming an increasingly common modality used by physicians to treat patients. Specifically, chronic spasticity secondary to multiple sclerosis (MS) may be treated with intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy when oral antispasmodics do not provide adequate relief. ITB therapy is effective, localizes drug delivery, and does not have the same degree of intolerabl...