Case Series: Spinal Cord Stimulator Therapy Alleviates Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome...

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a minimally invasive neuromodulation treatment modality primarily indicated for failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). When FBSS occurs in the setting of spinal cord injury (SCI) it can often be refractory to treatment with opioids and anticonvulsants; in such cases, SCS has demonstrated promising results. Here, we present a case series of 2 patients with FBSS in the setting of SCI who received pain relief with SCS therapy.

Our first patient is a 49-year-old man with a history of SCI (T10-11) with resulting paraplegia, who presented after failure of conservative management of his neuropathic abdominal and lumbar back pain with radiculopathy to the right groin. Our second patient is a 50-year-old man with a history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and thoracic arachnoid cyst excision, who presented for treatment of worsening intractable neuropathic pain in his thorax, abdomen, and midback. Both patients received SCS therapy with significant improvement in their neuropathic pain.

By delivering targeted electrical stimulation to the spinal cord, SCS can improve the pain resulting from FBSS. Recent literature has highlighted the successful use of SCS in alleviating neuropathic pain following SCI; our case series further adds to the literature supporting the use of SCS in this pain setting. SCS continues to offer chronic pain physicians alternative, effective options for patients suffering from FBSS in the setting of SCI.