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Updated: Jan 16, 2026
Treating Low Back Pain in Failed Back Surgery Patients with Multicolumn-lead Spinal Cord Stimulation
Published on: June 26, 2018
Minimally Invasive Biportal Endoscopic Spinal Cord Stimulation : Technical Report and Case Series
1Department of Neurosurgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Objective:
The insertion of a surgical paddle lead for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a cornerstone therapy for chronic refractory pain, with lower impedance and reduced battery usage than a percutaneous lead. However, the greater invasiveness of this procedure can cause complications.
Methods:
This study introduces a novel SCS technique using the unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) approach, illustrated through intraoperative images and endoscopic videos. We retrospectively reviewed 14 patients who underwent SCS using the UBE technique. Clinical, surgical, and radiological data were collected from electronic medical records and surgical videos.
Results:
A total of 14 patients (five females, nine males) were included in the study. The mean endoscopic operating time was 76.3±22.3 minutes. After the trial period, 13 patients (92.8%, 13/14) improved and underwent permanent implantation. The complication rate was 21.4%, with two cases of thoracic radiculopathy and one case of asymmetrical lead positioning. No lead migration was observed in these 13 patients.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of UBE-SCS as a minimally invasive alternative to conventional techniques, with high success rates and acceptable complications. However, further large-scale, long-term comparative studies are needed.
