Intrathecal baclofen therapy and COVID-19 infection – report of three cases

Abstract

Introduction Patients with severe spasticity are effectively treated with intrathecal baclofen therapy (ITB), but because of their invalidity, in case of infection, prognosis is poor. Case outline We present three cases (two men and one woman) of patients treated with baclofen intrathecal therapy due to spasticity of all four extremities who underwent SARS-CoV2 virus infection. Two of them have multiple sclerosis, and one has trauma of the cervical segment of the spinal cord. In all three patients, the clinical presentation of COVID-19 infection occurred within six months of implantation of the pump for ITB. They were successfully treated in hospital with same dose of the drug and without exacerbation of neurological status. Barthel index (BI) and modified Rankin score were same before and after COVID-19 infection. In two cases BI was 20, and in one 69; and modified Rankin score (mRS) was 3 in one case, and 5 in two cases. Conclusion Patients with severe spasticity who require intrathecal baclofen therapy can be safely treated regardless of the pandemic. © 2022, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved.