Pain Treatment Center of Wyoming, LLC

903A South Greeley Highway, Cheyenne, WY 82007
307-633-8100 Fax: 307-633-8108

Intrathecal Pump Therapy

Unfortunately some patients experience pain which is ongoing, and difficult to manage using conventional drug therapy. This pain may be result of different disease processes such as cancer, failed back syndrome, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, arachnoiditis , multiple sclerosis, or osteoporosis.

After other methods of controlling your pain have failed, and after Dr. Ribnik has performed a detailed history and physical exam, he may recommend intrathecal pain therapy. He will arrange a trial for you to evaluate your response to this pain therapy. This trial is done in the hospital and may consist of a single injection or a continuous infusion of small controlled amounts of medicine into the intrathecal space, an area filled with spinal fluid which surrounds the spinal column.

If you have a successful trial, and experience at least a 50% reduction in your pain, Dr. Ribnik may recommend an implanted pump system for long term pain control. The implanted pump system allows Dr. Ribnik to determine the exact medication, dosage, rate and timing which is most effective for you.

This information is entered into the programmer, an external computer-like devise that controls the pump memory. This programmer can easily be accessed by your Doctor or his nurse to review the information or to make changes to the program. The pump reservoir is a cavity inside the pump which holds the medication ordered by your Doctor.

This reservoir needs to be refilled periodically, and you will need to come to the clinic for this procedure. The remainder of the old medicine will be removed and the new medicine replaced through a fill port in the center of the pump. The frequency of the fill dates depend on how much medicine you use and varies from 30-90 days.

Immediately after surgery you may experience some discomfort or tenderness near the implant, but as you experience the benefit of this therapy you will be able to resume a more normal lifestyle without constant debilitating pain. The pump will need to be replaced every 3-5 years as the battery will expire. The pump has a built-in alarm to alert you to any problems.

The soft, high pitched beeping sound is an indicator that the pump needs refilling, the battery should be checked, or the pump is not delivering medication. Dr. Ribnik will instruct you to call his office if this happens.

Dr. Ribnik does require at least one visit with a psychologist prior to a pump trial to determine if you are an appropriate candidate.

As with any invasive procedure there are risks involved. These risks include infection, nerve damage, hemorrhage, blood clots, cerebral spinal fluid leak or headache.

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