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64th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

26 - 29 May 2013, Düsseldorf

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High frequency spinal cord stimulation for dominant back pain – One year follow-up

Meeting Abstract

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  • Gregor A. Bara - Centre of Functional Neurosurgery and Stereotaxy, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
  • Stefan Schu - Centre of Functional Neurosurgery and Stereotaxy, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
  • Jan Vesper - Centre of Functional Neurosurgery and Stereotaxy, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 64. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC). Düsseldorf, 26.-29.05.2013. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2013. DocDI.07.08

doi: 10.3205/13dgnc222, urn:nbn:de:0183-13dgnc2223

Published: May 21, 2013

© 2013 Bara et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established treatment of chronic pain of the legs and lower back. However, dominant back pain still remains a challenge for traditional spinal cord stimulation. This prospective study presents our 12 month experience with a minimally invasive percutaneously implantable, paraesthesia free, high frequency spinal cord stimulation.

Method: Data was collected prospectively. Patients were implanted percutaneously with two leads between segments T8–T11 and in midline position. All implantations have been performed under general anaesthesia. Patients underwent a seven days trial stimulation. Upon successful trial an implantable pulse generator (IPG, Nevro Senza) was implanted.

Results: 42 FBSS patients with dominant back and leg pain underwent a trial phase with high frequency spinal cord stimulation. 39 patients had a successful trial (mean duration 7 days). After 12 months the mean back pain decreased from VAS 9.2±0.5 to 2.7±1.9 and the leg pain from 5.3±0.7 to 2.6±1.4. The Oswestry Disability Index decreased from 51±2 to 31±2. No serious complications were observed.

Conclusions: Our data shows high frequency, thus paraesthesia free stimulation, to be effective and safe. Placement is done under general anaesthesia. The approach offers a novel elegant procedure for back dominant FBSS patients.