New Jersey medicine : the journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey
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This retrospective review permits limited conclusions due to the small sample size and the limited control of variables. The temporary prepump, percutaneous epidural catheter trial is a useful component of our protocol. ⋯ The trial does give an estimation for the starting point of the intrathecal dosage but, as we have demonstrated, this is, at times, at a greater dosage than previously had been predicted. We feel that this retrospective review supports the continued use of a prepump trial of epidural morphine prior to permanent intrathecal pump implantation.