I want to know more about the dye studies that are done on implantable
intrathecal pumps for pain.  I understand that something called a
catheter access port is used to sample cerebral spinal fluid for
analysis.  I would like to know how frequently the access port is used
for dye studies?  In other words, how often to they have to do the dye
studies.  When the doctors (I think it is the doctors) do a dye study,
do they always have to take out the pain medication to from the
catheter?

Hello crystal4290-ga,

It is my understanding that such a study would be done if any problems
were experiencesd, and that it would be used to confirm the placement
of the catheter and whether it was free of blockage, kinks, leaks,
etc.

the other answer is accurate: there's no reason to do a dye study as
long as the catheter is working properly. If a study were done to
assess function, the pain med likely would be withdrawn to prevent
injecting a sudden larger amount during the dye injection. However,
the  pain med could be replaced immediately and would not need to be
absent for more than a couple of minutes, most likely