Abstract:
Ziconotide is a synthetic, water-soluble cone snail venom-derived peptide with a molecular weight of 2,639 Daltons. It is a nonopioid analgesic that selectively binds to N-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels on primary nociceptive afferent nerves in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This mechanism releases analgesic neurotransmitters into the synaptic gap and subsequently blocks pain signal transmission. Ziconotide does not easily cross the blood-brain barrier, instead revealing its highly potent antinociceptive effect only after intrathecal administration. Because it has a narrow therapeutic window, careful dose titration, and a lag time to allow for onset (and offset) of analgesia and adverse effects are required. The presentation will focus on a recently published consensus proposal and highlight the potential of this drug as well as the areas where additional experience is needed.
Audience Take Away
- Expand the knowledge on possible neuromodulation therapies
- Learn how intrathecal therapy can help patients with chronic pain
- Learn how a non-opioid drug (Ziconotide) could be a viable treatment option
- Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of Ziconotide
- Help physicians provide one more therapy to their chronic pain patients
Biography:
Dr. Georgios Matis is a senior consultant for neurosurgery. He leads the chronic pain / spasticity sector of the Department of Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery in the University Hospital of Cologne. He has been trained in Greece (General University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, G. Papanikolaou General Hospital of Thessaloniki & 417 Army Equity Fund Hospital of Athens), USA (Department of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY), Switzerland (Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich) and Germany (Department of Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne).
Dr. Matis is a member of two medical associations (Thessaloniki, Greece & North Rhine, Germany) and also a member of the German Neuromodulation Society (DGNM) and the International Neuromodulation Society (INS).
He serves as reviewer for many international journals and is Editorial Board member for Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface and Interventional Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation. He holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Internet Journal of Neurosurgery. Dr. Matis has published many articles in Greek and international Pubmed-indexed journals and hold many lectures as invited speaker in numerous international congresses and webinars. At the same time, he is Public Education Committee member of the International Neuromodulation Society.
Dr. Matis is involved in many international clinical studies and has been active as instructor for many colleagues in Germany and abroad. He is also an active member of the medical advisory board of the German CRPS Support Group and member of several online consultation platforms. He is actively involved in social media trying to raise awareness about spinal cord stimulation and neuromodulation.
