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History and Present State of Targeted Intrathecal Drug Delivery

  • Neuromodulation (M Gofeld, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Nearly 50 years ago, the seminal experiments of Melzack and Wall, culminating in the gate control theory, coupled with the discovery of endogenous opioid receptors, helped shape modern understandings of pain and provided interventionalists a potent therapeutic gateway to neuraxial analgesia. This paper emphasizes the historical antecedents, present state, and emerging future of the neuromodulatory technique of targeted intrathecal drug delivery (TIDD) for chronic pain. The strengths of TIDD are its customizability, reversibility, programmability, and low risk profile. Its benefits are evidenced by improved pain relief and quality of life and reduced demand for health-care resources.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Kumar is a consultant for Medtronic Inc. and Boston Scientific Corp. and has received research grants from Medtronic in the past.

Dr. Syed Rizvi has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Royal University Hospital, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7H SW8, Canada

    Syed Rizvi

  2. Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Regina General Hospital, University of Saskatchewan, Regina, SK, Canada

    Krishna Kumar

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  1. Syed Rizvi
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  2. Krishna Kumar
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Correspondence to Syed Rizvi.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Neuromodulation

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Rizvi, S., Kumar, K. History and Present State of Targeted Intrathecal Drug Delivery. Curr Pain Headache Rep 19, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0474-8

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