Abstract:Abstract Objective: To investigate the conversion ratios, indications and clinical outcomes of intrathecal opioid rotation in patients with chronic refractory pain. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with chronic refractory pain who underwent implantation of a SynchroMed II intrathecal drug delivery system (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) at the Department of Pain Medicine, China–Japan Friendship Hospital between January 2020 and September 2025 and subsequently underwent intrathecal opioid rotation. Pain characteristics, indications for rotation, timing of rotation, conversion ratios, and post-rotation outcomes were described and analyzed. Results: A total of 23 patients were included, comprising 18 patients with cancer-related pain and 5 with non-cancer pain. The mean initial conversion ratio from hydromorphone to morphine was 3.25, whereas that for rotation from morphine to hydromorphone was 7.50. At the effective analgesic dose, the corresponding conversion ratios were 3.70 and 5.75, respectively. In patients rotated from morphine to morphine combined with sufentanil, the initial morphine-to-sufentanil conversion ratios were 3600, 1330, and 2000, with corresponding effective analgesic ratios of 3180, 350 and 1310, demonstrating marked interindividual variability. Among the 22 patients who underwent opioid rotation due to inadequate analgesia, pain did not improve significantly in 2 patients, both of whom had central pain, while satisfactory analgesia was achieved in the remaining patients. One patient underwent rotation due to opioid-related edema, which improved after rotation to hydromorphone. Conclusion: Intrathecal opioid rotation is an effective strategy to improve analgesic efficacy and alleviate opioid-related adverse effects (e.g., edema) in patients with chronic refractory pain. Asymmetric cross-tolerance exists between morphine and hydromorphone. When rotating from morphine to a combination of morphine and sufentanil, individual variability must be considered, and a conservative initial conversion ratio should be adopted.