Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 7, 2025
04:42
Treating Low Back Pain in Failed Back Surgery Patients with Multicolumn-lead Spinal Cord Stimulation
Published on: June 26, 2018
14.7K
The Challenge of Converting "Failed Spinal Cord Stimulation Syndrome" Back to Clinical Success, Using SCS
Philippe Rigoard1,2,3, Amine Ounajim1,4, Lisa Goudman5,6
1PRISMATICS Lab (Predictive Research in Spine/Neuromodulation Management and Thoracic Innovation/Cardiac Surgery), Poitiers University Hospital, 86021 Poitiers, France.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|January 11, 2022
Summary
Failed Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) can be managed with new neurostimulation adapters. These adapters help restore paresthesia coverage and reduce pain, offering a promising salvage solution for patients experiencing loss of efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pain Management
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Paresthesia-based Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) effectively treats chronic neuropathic pain.
- Loss of Efficacy (LoE) and Loss of Coverage (LoC) can lead to Failed SCS Syndrome (FSCSS).
- New technologies, including neurostimulation adapters and paresthesia-free waveforms, offer potential solutions for LoE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of salvage procedures using neurostimulation adapters in patients with existing SCS implants experiencing LoE.
- To evaluate the impact of these adapters on pain intensity, coverage, and patient quality of life.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of patients implanted with SCS who received new waveforms via an adapter between 2018 and 2021.
- Data collected at baseline and 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups.
- Outcomes assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, pain/coverage mappings, and stimulation preferences.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements observed in VAS (p = 0.0001), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (p = 0.021), and quality of life (p = 0.023) at 12 months.
- In patients with LoC (11/27), SCS efficacy improved pain intensity (36.89%), paresthesia coverage (55.57%), and pain surface area (47.01%).
- 81.3% of patients preferred retaining tonic stimulation post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- Spinal Cord Stimulation conversion using adapters shows promise as a salvage therapy for Failed SCS Syndrome.
- Adapters facilitate paresthesia recapture through spatial retargeting, effectively managing LoE.
- Integration of adapters into SCS rescue algorithms or consideration as a primary rescue option is recommended.
