Posterior Cord Syndrome After Spinal Cord Stimulation Electrode Lead Insertion: A Case Report

Chronic neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury is often refractory to conventional treatments. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is used to manage intractable chronic neuropathic pain. A 42-year-old man presented with chronic neuropathic pain in his right lower extremity for 5 years. He had undergone posterior fusion from T11 to L3 for a burst fracture of L1 vertebra and conus medullaris syndrome. Conservative treatment with medications, pain blocks, and physical therapy did not relieve the neuropathic pain in the right lower limb. A paddle-type SCS electrode lead was inserted at the level of T9-11 vertebrae for test stimulation. Postoperatively, the patient immediately complained of decreased proprioception, while the motor and sensory neurologic states did not change. Since his neurological deficit did not recover spontaneously, we had to remove the epidural SCS electrode to resolve the neurological symptoms.