Scoliosis

Today we learned that Truman has Scoliosis. His spine is curved at 30 degrees. The orthopedic surgeon explained to me that children with cerebral palsy are at a greater risk of developing scoliosis. Usually at this age it is not this far progressed but as Truman would have it he doesn't typically play by the rules. The exact treatments at this point are undecided. It looks like he will most likely have to wear a brace at night and an intrethecal baclofen pump will be inserted into his abdomen. An intrathecal Baclofen pump is a pump that is roughlty the size of a hockey puck that will deliver a the medicine Baclofen. Baclofen is a muscle relaxant medicine commonly used to decrease spasticity related to some types of Cerebral Palsy. Spasticity is a motor disorder characterized by tight or stiff muscles that might interfere with voluntary muscle movements. Baclofen can be taken orally or delivered into the intrathecal space. The intrathecal space contains the cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid surrounding the spinal cord and nerve roots. Oral baclofen causes side effects that might limit its usefulness. Of the oral baclofen delivered throughout the body, only a small portion goes to the spinal fluid where it is needed to work.
An intrathecal delivery system, which provides the baclofen right to the target site in the spinal cord, is an effective way to deliver the medicine.. .so this therapy combined with a back brace will hopefully at least get us through about 7 more years until he is big enough to tolerate spinal surgery. Truman's orthopedic surgeon and Physical medicine doctor have conflicting opinions about the pump in Truman. His is still very small and his body may reject it. So we will see what the verdict is as soon as they conference.
(The definitions of medications and pump explanation were found on www.clevelanclinic.org)