An intrathecal injection (often simply called "intrathecal") is an injection into the spinal canal (intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord), as in a spinal anaesthesia or in chemotherapy or pain management applications. An injection is an infusion method of putting Liquid into the Body, usually with a hollow needle and a Syringe which is pierced through Spinal analgesia, (or commonly called spinal anesthesia or sub-arachnoid block (S Chemotherapy, in its most general sense refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells specifically those of micro-organisms or Cancer. Pain management (also called pain medicine is the medical discipline concerned with the relief of Pain. This route is also used for some infections, particularly post-neurosurgical. The drug needs to be given this way to avoid the blood brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier (BBB is a metabolic or cellular structure in the Central nervous system (CNS that restricts the passage of various chemical substances and microscopic If the drug were given via other routes of administration where it would enter the blood stream it would be unable to reach the brain. Drugs given intrathecally often have to be made up specially by a pharmacist or technician because they cannot contain any preservative or other potentially harmful inactive ingredients that are sometimes found in standard injectable drug preparations.

Intrathecal administration of analgesia:

• Popular for a single 24-hour dose of analgesia (opioid with Local anesthetic)
• Caution because of late onset respiratory depression
• Severe pruritus and urinary retention may limit the use of intrathecal morphine
• Pethidine has the unusual properties of being both a local anaesthetic and opioid analgesic which occasionally permits its use as the sole intrathecal anaesthetic agent. Itch ( Latin: pruritus) is an unpleasant Sensation that evokes the desire or Reflex to scratch Pethidine ( INN) or meperidine ( USAN) (commonly referred to as Demerol but also referred to as isonipecaine lidol pethanol piridosal Algil Alodan

Intrathecal chemotherapy:

• Currently, only three agents are licensed for intrathecal chemotherapy
• They are methotrexate, cytarabine (a. k. a. Ara-C) and hydrocortisone
• Administration of other chemotherapeutic agents with the intrathecal route could lead to fatal outcomes

See Also

• Subarachnoid

In the Central nervous system, the subarachnoid cavity ( subarachnoid space) is the interval between the Arachnoid membrane and Pia mater

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