about the treatment

By having a painpainAn unpleasant sensation associated with actual or potential tissue damage, and mediated by specific nerve fibe... management pump deliver pain medication directly into a targeted area of the spinal canalspinal canalThe bony channel that is formed by the intravertebral foramen of the vertebrae and in which contains the spina... where pain impulses are received, a much smaller dose of medication is required compared with oral consumption. Frequently, the use of implantable pump therapy results in superiorsuperiorSituated above or directed upward toward the head of an individual. pain relief with minimal side effects.

Patients experiencing unrelieved chronic pain who have already tried oral or other pain management procedures may find implanted pump therapy beneficial. Many patients who receive oral or intravenous (IV) pain medications experience severe side effects such as nausea, vomiting, cloudiness, mental fogginess and constipation. Fortunately though, these same patients often find much fewer side effects with pain medications administered via Intrathecal Pump Therapy.

Before deciding if a patient is a candidate for Intrathecal Pump Therapy, the doctor will most likely perform a "screening trial." A trial can be performed in one of two ways. One method is a "single test dose." This method is administered by an injection of the same drug that the doctor is considering for use in the pump. The doctor will inject a dose of medication directly into the area where the pump cathetercatheterA small tube used to inject a dye to see the blood vessels, similar to that used for looking at vessels in the... will be placed. Results of this trial may be determined in less then twenty-four hours.

The second and more common method is the “functional trial.” During this method, the doctor will insert a tiny cathetercatheterA hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or dis... (tube) into the patient’s back and attach it to an external drug pump. This procedure is often done using an x-rayx-rayAn X-ray is a painless process that uses radioactive materials to take pictures of bone. If your doctor suspec... machine. The external pump will then stay with the patient for several days. This method allows the patient to “test drive” the therapy before having a pump implanted. The goal is to mimic the pain relief that will be attained with an actual implanted pump.

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