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Spinal Cord Stimulators' Displacement: Systematic Review and Single-Institution Case Series with Anchoring Technique
Rachael Mariadas1, Elizabeth Pan2, Tillman W Boesel1
1Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
Journal of Pain Research
|April 15, 2026
Summary
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) lead displacement is common, but a spine-anchoring technique reduced permanent displacement to 2.4% in a case series, suggesting robust anchoring improves SCS efficacy for chronic pain.
Area of Science:
- Neuromodulation
- Pain Management
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a key therapy for chronic pain.
- Lead displacement is a frequent complication impacting SCS long-term efficacy.
- Quantifying displacement rates and evaluating anchoring techniques are crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review global SCS lead displacement rates.
- To assess if a spine-anchoring technique reduces lead displacement.
- To report displacement data from a single-institution case series using an anchoring method.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central (1967-Feb 2024) for SCS lead displacement studies.
- Quality assessment using NOS, Cochrane risk-of-bias, and GRADE.
- Retrospective case series (2017-2024) of 128 patients using surgical laminar anchoring.
Main Results:
- Systematic review included 117 articles (20,427 participants); permanent displacement rate was 6.64%.
- Low-risk bias studies reported 2.1% permanent displacement vs. 7.1% in high-risk studies.
- Institutional case series: 0% trial displacement, 2.4% permanent displacement (3/125 patients).
Conclusions:
- Methodological quality significantly influences reported SCS lead displacement rates.
- The open laminar anchoring technique demonstrated a low permanent displacement rate (2.4%).
- Robust anchoring strategies appear to reduce clinically significant lead displacement in chronic pain patients.
