Intestinal pseudo-obstruction following oral baclofen: An unusual complication

Abstract

Baclofen is a gamma- aminobutyric acid B (GABA B) agonist used for the management of spasticity associated with spinal cord injury. Oral baclofen might cause constipation, but intestinal pseudo-obstruction is very rare. We report a 50-year-old male with spasticity following cervical discectomy (C3-4) on oral baclofen for 6 months with intestinal pseudo-obstruction. He had undergone open suprapubic cystostomy for traumatic urethral injury, 45 days prior to the presentation and adhesive intestinal obstruction was also considered a possibility. However, there were no air fluid levels on abdominal radiographs and ultrasound abdomen was non-contributory. Withdrawal of baclofen was therapeutic in this patient. This case is being reported to highlight the rare possibility of oral baclofen induced intestinal pseudo-obstruction.