Background The use of intrathecal antibiotic therapy for the treatment of ventriculitis and/or meningitis has demonstrated efficacy especially when sterilization of the cerebrospinal fluid is not possible with intravenous antibiotics alone. Case Description We describe the successful treatment of Enterococcus faecalis ventriculitis utilizing intrathecal linezolid in a 32-year-old female patient...

BACKGROUND The primary goal of this study was to determine whether administration of intrathecal morphine reduces postoperative pain. The secondary goal was to determine the effect of intrathecal morphine upon circulating levels of the weakly analgesic endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and the related lipids palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide ...

Although partly disease-irrelevant, intrathecal immunoglobulins (Ig) synthesis is a typical feature of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is driven by the tertiary lymphoid organs (TLO). A long-known hallmark of this non-specific intrathecal synthesis is the MRZ pattern, an intrathecal synthesis of Ig against measles, rubella, and zoster viruses. This non-specific intrathecal synthesis could also be d...

OBJECTIVE To review evidence for the use of intrathecal rituximab and trastuzumab in the management of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. DATA SOURCES A search of MEDLINE (1966-July 2010) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-July 2010) was performed using search terms intrathecal, trastuzumab, rituximab, and monoclonal antibody. Additionally, American Society of Clinical Oncology, San...

ABSTRACT Intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis is part of the immune response in the central nervous system (CNS). In this study we demonstrate that age, the features of the biological agent, and epidemiological factors modulate the pattern of intrathecal immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis. We also describe the pattern of intrathecal Ig in patients suffering from bacteria, virus, or parasites induced...

Increasingly, spasticity is managed with surgically implanted Intrathecal Baclofen pumps. Intrathecal Baclofen pump revision surgery unrelated to programmable pump end-of-life is not uncommon, requiring special attention during pre-, intra-, and postoperative management. We aimed to identify and describe complications of Intrathecal Baclofen pump as well as to report avoidance and management of...

BACKGROUND Continuous intrathecal labor analgesia produces rapid analgesia or anesthesia and allows substantial flexibility in medication choice. The US Food and Drug Administration, in 1992, removed intrathecal microcatheters (27-32 gauge) from clinical use after reports of neurologic injury in nonobstetric patients. This study examined the safety and efficacy of a 28-gauge intrathecal cathete...

The formation of catheter tip granulomas is an increasingly observed serious complication of intrathecally administered medication. This complication, which is frequently associated with neurological disturbances, has previously been attributed to high dosages and high concentrations of intrathecal morphine. Much less commonly, intrathecal hydromorphone and intrathecal baclofen have also been a...

We studied the effects of spinal intrathecal fentanyl on oxytocin secretion in 20 healthy women prior to an elective caesarean delivery at term under spinal anaesthesia. The women were randomly allocated into two groups with respect to spinal anaesthesia. Group I (n=10) received intrathecal bupivacaine (15 mg) plus fentanyl (25 microgram), and Group II (n=10) received intrathecal bupivacaine (1...

Pain after surgery results in significant morbidity, and systemic opioids often fail to provide adequate analgesia without marked sedation and respiratory depression. Intrathecal morphine provides better analgesia, but is limited by delayed respiratory depression. Intrathecal injection of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ketorolac, has recently entered clinical trials, and the current study examin...