Abstract:Abstract Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of Hydromorphone in intrathecal drug delivery system(IDDS) for refractory cancer pain. Methods:Forty-two patients suffering refractory cancer pain after IDDS implantation were randomly divided into morphine control group(M group, n=21) and hydromorphone observation group(HM group, n=21). Patients in control group were intathecally received morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with a electronical pump, while patients in observation group were given hydromorphone PCA. The patient' s numerical rating scale (NRS) score, daily consumption of opioids(The dose of hydromorphone was converted into morphine to be calculated by the rotation 1:5) and frequency of breakthrough pain(BTP), quality of life scores and side effects were recorded at the day before epidural trialing (T0) and one day (T1d), time of discharge (Tdis), one month (T1m), two months (T2m) ,three months (T3m)after intrathecal PCA to assess the safety and efficacy. Results: There was no significant difference in NRS score between the two groups after intrathecal PCA,and it was significantly lower than that before epidural trailing (P<0.01).The daily consumption of opioids after intrathecal PCA showed a gradual escalation during the follow-up period, and Compared with T1d and Tdis, the dose of T3m increased significantly in the two groups(P<0.05). The frequency of daily BTP increased gradually with the prolongation of treatment time. The quality of life score (EORTC QLQ-C30 Chinese version) was significantly improved after intrathecal PCA treatment in both groups compared with T0(P<0.01). The quality of life score in HM group was higher than that in M group after treatment,but there was no significant difference between the two groups. The side effects of constipation, nausea and vomiting,drowsiness in the two groups were significantly improved at the time of discharge compared with those before epidural trailing (P<0.01). The incidence of nausea and vomiting in the HM group were significantly lower than those in the M group (P<0.05).Four patients excluded from the observation in M group consumed morphine rapidly per day and had inadequate analgesia(NRS≥7), at the same time,Hydromorphone rotation was intathecally performed and analgesic response was relieved by 20% to 50%. Conclusion: Intrathecal hydromorphone analgesia is as effective as morphine .It can be safely and effectively used in the analgesia of refractory cancer pain in IDDS, and may be a good alternative for morphine tolerance or severe side effects.