Advanced waveforms and frequency with spinal cord stimulation: burst and high-frequency energy delivery

In recent years, software development has been key to the next generation of neuromodulation devices. In this review, we will describe the new strategies for electrical waveform delivery for spinal cord stimulation. A systematic literature review was performed using bibliographic databases, limited to the English language and human data, between 2010 and 2014. The literature search yielded three articles on burst stimulation and four articles on high-frequency stimulation. High-frequency and burst stimulation may offer advantages over tonic stimulation, as data suggest improved patient tolerance, comparable increase in function and possible success with a subset of patients refractory to tonic spinal cord stimulation. High-frequency and burst stimulation are new ways to deliver energy to the spinal cord that may offer advantages over tonic stimulation. These may offer new salvage strategies to mitigate spinal cord stimulation failure and improve cost-effectiveness by reducing explant rate.