Historical photograph of spinal anaesthesia In 1884 the American neurologist J. L. eases. His discovery, however, marks the Corning, by blocking the neural con onset of the era of regional anaesthesia. It took almost one hundred years until his duction to the hind extremities of a dog by injecting cocaine-solution into the lumbar original idea of "local medication of the vertebral interspace, was the first to per cord" was again reconsidered due to two form spinal (or epidural?) anaesthesia [1]. reasons: At that time, he was unaware of the local I. The discovery of different drug receptors anaesthetic properties of cocaine (dis in the spinal cord made it possible, by in covered in the same year by C. Koller, who trathecal injection (or epidural appli cation, if the drug penetrates the dura), applied cocaine to the eye of one of his pa tients [3]) and did not intend to introduce to alter nociceptive or motor transmis an anaesthetic procedure. Corning's pri sion within the spinal cord. mary aim was the application of drugs in 2. Implantable devices for long-term appli proximity of the central nervous system, i. e. cation of drugs to specific sites of the spinal cord, in order to treat or even heal body, including the spinal spaces, were developed during the 1970's.

Preface

Preface
A Short Historical Review of Spasticity and Its Therapy
A Short Historical Review of Spasticity and Its Therapy
Basic Experiences
Spinal Pharmacology of Agents which Alter Pain Transmission and Muscle Tone
The Neuropharmacology of Baclofen
Animal Experiments on the Spinal Action of Midazolam
Intrathecal Injection of Antispastic Drugs in Rats: Muscle Relaxant Action of Midazolam, Baclofen, 2-Aminophosphonoheptanoic Acid (AP7) and Tizanidine
CSF Compatibility of Antispastic Agents
Dural Permeability to Bupivacaine, Baclofen and Midazolam: In Vitro Determination with Human Dura Mater
Clinical Studies
Pharmacotherapy of Spasticity
Pumps in Pharmacotherapy
Implantation of Ports and Pumps. Technique for Intrathecal Administration of Drugs
Control of Spasticity with Intrathecal Morphine Sulfate
Clinical Experience with Spinal Morphine, Midazolam and Tizanidine in Spasticity
Chronic Intrathecal Baclofen for Severe Rigidity and Spasms
Intrathecal Baclofen in Spasticity
Chronic Intrathecal Administration of Baclofen in Treatment of Severe Spasticity
Pharmacokinetics of Intrathecal Baclofen
Intrathecal Baclofen in tetanus
The Value of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) in Treatment of Disorders of the Motor System
Physostigmine Reversal of Baclofen-induced Sedation
Surgical Treatment of Spasticity- A Review.