Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 5, 2026
Treating Low Back Pain in Failed Back Surgery Patients with Multicolumn-lead Spinal Cord Stimulation
Published on: June 26, 2018
Cervical Retrograde Spinal Cord Stimulation Lead Placement to Treat Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Case Report
Noud van Helmond1, Caroline N Kardaszewski, Kenneth B Chapman
1From the *Spine and Pain Institute of New York, New York City, New York; †Department of Research, Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, New York; and ‡Department of Anesthesiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York City, New York.
Abstract:
Spinal cord stimulation is an effective treatment modality for refractory neuropathic pain conditions, but the placement of leads can be challenging due to unforeseen anatomical variations. We used a retrograde C7-T1 approach to place a lead at the bottom of T8 in a patient suffering from failed back surgery syndrome. We were able to achieve adequate stimulation in her lower back and legs, which resulted in significant reduction in pain intensity during the spinal cord stimulation trial. Cervical retrograde placement of leads may represent an alternative method for successful placement of percutaneous leads in patients with abnormal anatomy due to thoracic postsurgical changes.
