Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report

BackgroundIntrathecal baclofen (ITB) delivery is an FDA-approved indication for patients with intractable spasticity. Often, implantation in these patients can be considerably challenging, especially if previous surgical fusion involves the procedure access location.Case report We present the case o...

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Main Authors: Francesco Sammartino, Sheital Bavishi, Brian Dalm
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1530801/full
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author Francesco Sammartino
Sheital Bavishi
Brian Dalm
author_facet Francesco Sammartino
Sheital Bavishi
Brian Dalm
author_sort Francesco Sammartino
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundIntrathecal baclofen (ITB) delivery is an FDA-approved indication for patients with intractable spasticity. Often, implantation in these patients can be considerably challenging, especially if previous surgical fusion involves the procedure access location.Case report We present the case of a 27-year-old female with T2 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) A spinal cord injury (SCI) and chronic spastic dystonia. She was maximized on oral medications without satisfactory control of her painful muscle spasms and was a candidate for ITB trial, which ultimately failed due to the difficulty of accessing the spinal canal due to extensive pseudoarthrosis secondary to thoracic to lumbar fusion. A decision was made to directly implant the pump in the operative room using O-arm–aided neuronavigation to guide catheter access at L5–S1. Currently, at 22 months of follow-up post-pump implant, ITB delivery has led to persistent improvements in her spastic dystonia and many aspects of quality of life.Discussion The current case indicates that a multidisciplinary approach when considering surgical treatments for medication-refractory spasticity may help expand the indications to large numbers of patients with postsurgical spine abnormalities.
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spelling doaj-art-4bb51497d4b84e5c8fbceeceef0c48962025-08-20T03:13:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences2673-68612025-05-01610.3389/fresc.2025.15308011530801Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case reportFrancesco Sammartino0Sheital Bavishi1Brian Dalm2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesDepartment of Neurological Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesBackgroundIntrathecal baclofen (ITB) delivery is an FDA-approved indication for patients with intractable spasticity. Often, implantation in these patients can be considerably challenging, especially if previous surgical fusion involves the procedure access location.Case report We present the case of a 27-year-old female with T2 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) A spinal cord injury (SCI) and chronic spastic dystonia. She was maximized on oral medications without satisfactory control of her painful muscle spasms and was a candidate for ITB trial, which ultimately failed due to the difficulty of accessing the spinal canal due to extensive pseudoarthrosis secondary to thoracic to lumbar fusion. A decision was made to directly implant the pump in the operative room using O-arm–aided neuronavigation to guide catheter access at L5–S1. Currently, at 22 months of follow-up post-pump implant, ITB delivery has led to persistent improvements in her spastic dystonia and many aspects of quality of life.Discussion The current case indicates that a multidisciplinary approach when considering surgical treatments for medication-refractory spasticity may help expand the indications to large numbers of patients with postsurgical spine abnormalities.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1530801/fullspasticityspinal cord injuryO-armnavigationintrathecal baclofen
spellingShingle Francesco Sammartino
Sheital Bavishi
Brian Dalm
Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences
spasticity
spinal cord injury
O-arm
navigation
intrathecal baclofen
title Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
title_full Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
title_fullStr Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
title_full_unstemmed Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
title_short Use of O-arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass: case report
title_sort use of o arm to place an intrathecal catheter through a bony fusion mass case report
topic spasticity
spinal cord injury
O-arm
navigation
intrathecal baclofen
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1530801/full
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