Intact Functioning Of Intrathecal Pain Pump Receiving Radiation Therapy

Abstract

Programmable Intrathecal (IT) drug delivery systems are being increasingly used with radiation therapy for cancer treatment and palliation. Ionizing radiation is assumed to cause dysfunction of the programmable IT device. However, the dose limit and safety of the IT drug delivery device used concurrently with radiotherapy have not been extensively documented. Here we report a patient who underwent the implantation of an IT pump during radiotherapy. This device was subsequently directly exposed to radiation. Estimated cumulative doses to the pump were in the range of 1.28 to 9.98 Gy. The IT pump exposed to this high-dose radiation did not pose any risk to the patient or the environment. The device was queried during and after the completion of treatment and found to be functioning without fault. This is the first case description about the successful function of an IT drug delivery device directly exposed to ionizing radiation.