Control of medically refractory restless legs syndrome with intrathecal morphine: Case report

Donald A. Ross, Michael S. Narus, John G. Nutt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Restless legs syndrome is now widely recognized and is usually successfully treated with medication. Occasionally, it may be severe and refractory to medication. Intrathecal opiates have been previously described to be useful in this situation in a single report. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report the successful use of low-dose intrathecal morphine in a severe case of restless legs syndrome refractory to medication. TECHNIQUE: The surgery was complicated by extreme restlessness in the recovery room resulting in withdrawal or breakage of the catheter on multiple occasions. Relief of symptoms was lost with each catheter malfunction. We describe the possible origin of this complication and a solution to the problem resulting in the successful control of symptoms for 7 months since the last surgery. CONCLUSION: Intrathecal opiates for restless legs syndrome are currently considered investigational, but we hope, with this second report of the efficacy of low-dose intrathecal narcotics in this condition, to stimulate further investigation of this treatment modality.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)E263
JournalNeurosurgery
Volume62
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2008

Keywords

  • Catheter migration
  • Intrathecal opiates
  • Restless legs syndrome

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Neurology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Control of medically refractory restless legs syndrome with intrathecal morphine: Case report'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this