2008

First in Southeast Asia to use the Intra-Thecal Baclofen (ITB) pump

KKH was the first in Southeast Asia to use the Intra-Thecal Baclofen (ITB) pump, a new neurosurgical treatment for children with spasticity. Oral baclofen has been used since the late 1960's to treat spasticity. However, due to the low lipid solubility of oral baclofen, very high doses are required to produce a therapeutic effect, which results in undesirable side effects like sedation, fatigue and nausea. 

The ITB pump is a programmable pump with a spinal catheter that is surgically implanted into the patient under the anterior abdominal wall and spinal canal respectively. The pump is filled with baclofen and introduced continuously into the spinal fluid via the catheter. With ITB, the doses required are one-thousandth of the oral dose and can be adjusted.