Catheter systems for intrathecal drug delivery.

A prospective study of intrathecal catheter reliability was performed at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. All 102 patients who had baclofen administered chronically for spasticity via an implanted drug pump were included. Sixty percent of the patients had no catheter complications; the remaining patients had one to five complications over their course of treatment. Survival analysis demonstrated a steady rate of malfunction up to 80 months, with the mean time to first failure recorded at 20 months. Kinks, holes, breaks, dislodgments, and disconnections were the most common complications. On the basis of their research the authors conclude that the thin-walled silastic catheter does not perform well and that larger, thick-walled catheters should be used.