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Updated: May 26, 2026
Treating Low Back Pain in Failed Back Surgery Patients with Multicolumn-lead Spinal Cord Stimulation
Published on: June 26, 2018
Spinal cord stimulation has comparable efficacy in common pain etiologies
Elliot S Krames1, John C Oakley, Allison M Foster
1Pacific Pain Treatment Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Yellowstone Neurosurgical Associates, Billings, MT, USA; Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, Valencia, CA, USA; Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA; California Pain Medicine Centers, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Texas Back Institute, Plano, TX, USA; North Shore University Hospital, Syosset, NY, USA; and Dallas Neurosurgical Associates, Dallas, TX, USA.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) effectively treats neuropathic pain across various causes, including failed back surgery syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome. Patient
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pain Medicine
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment for chronic pain.
- Patient selection is crucial for SCS success.
- The influence of pain etiology on SCS outcomes requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive value of pain etiology on pain relief from spinal cord stimulation (SCS).
- To assess SCS effectiveness in patients with failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, and other etiologies.
Main Methods:
- A prospective multicenter clinical trial involving 65 subjects with chronic intractable pain.
- Subjects utilized an epidural SCS system and reported pain via visual analog scale (VAS) with stimulation on and off.
- Data were collected for up to 18 months post-activation and stratified by dominant pain etiology.
Main Results:
- Over 70% of subjects in all etiological subgroups achieved successful outcomes during the trial period.
- Similar proportions of subjects from each subgroup proceeded to permanent SCS implantation.
- All subgroups reported an average of >50% pain relief at follow-up visits after permanent implantation.
Conclusions:
- Spinal cord stimulation is an effective therapy for neuropathic pain regardless of its cause.
- Pain etiology does not predict the success of spinal cord stimulation.
- Failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, and other neuropathic pain conditions respond similarly to SCS.
