Clinical Experience in the use of Baclofen in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Further Report

The results of an open trial of baclofen in children with spastic cerebral palsy are presented. In intelligent children with pure spastic diplegia there was improvement in mobility and in ability to wear orthoses. In more severely affected children the benefit lies in the possibility of preventing postural deformities, in allowing increased participation in physical therapy and in facilitating nursing care. The reduction in tone is most useful when it allows the child or his therapist to do something that had been prevented by spasticity. The drug seems to be of little value in mixed types of cerebral palsy and of no value at all in children with fixed deformities. A suitable starting dose is 5 mg twice or thrice daily increasing over two weeks to a total of 2− 2.5 mg/kg/day. Sedation and hypotonia were occasionally seen but could be controlled by adjusting the dose. Control of epilepsy did not deteriorate.