Today it is accepted that chronic infusion of baclofen produces significant relaxation and drastic reduction of spasms, amelioration of cramping pain and improvement of sphincter functions in spasticity of spinal cord origin. Based on these results our group had the opportunity of treating 11 cases with refractory spasticity and dystonic symptoms due to central damage caused by head injury in 8 cases and to cerebral palsy in 3 using cervical intrathecal infusion of baclofen. During the trial period with percutaneous intrathecal infusion of a daily bolus of 12.5–75 µg of baclofen through a reservoir, improvement of mentation and speech conditions, marked improvement of dystonic and abnormal movements of the upper limbs and trunk and a notable reduction of hypertonia were observed in all cases, which led to a better performance of motor activities in skilled acts and transfer. With these preliminary results in mind, in all cases the previous cervical subarachnoid catheter was attached to a programmable pump that infused a daily total dose varying from 100 to 190 µg of baclofen in a continuous or multistep complex mode. After a mean follow-up of 21 months previous results were long-lasting. Neither overdose side effects nor malfunction of the system were observed.

Arachnoid intracranial cysts are benign lesions which until recently have been considered to be quite uncommon. They are benign congenital lesions usually discovered at an early age. We have recently treated two patients with advanced age and arachnoid cysts, unusual due to their location and extent. Both of them presented clinically with an organic dementia syndrome with some similarities to that seen in normal pressure hydrocephalus. Both recovered fully after surgery. We review the literature and try to emphasize the clinical differences between arachnoid and the more rare neuroepithelial cysts.

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The authors report five cases of chronic epidural haematoma diagnosed and treated surgically in the last four years. Age, source and rate of bleeding, clot volume, adherence to the dura, individual tolerance and location of the haematoma have all been incriminated in the past to explain the chronic nature of these lesions. The location of the clot seems to us the most important causative factor. We emphasize the value of CT in the diagnosis of these lesions.