• Marin Guentchev, Christian Preuss, Rainer Rink, Levente Peter, Martin H M Sailer, and Jochen Tuettenberg.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Idar-Oberstein, Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
• Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2017 Oct 1; 13 (5): 634-639.

BackgroundWe recently demonstrated that 86% of the patients treated with peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) for therapy-refractory sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain were satisfied with the result after 1 year of treatment.ObjectiveTo investigate the long-term (up to 4 years) response rate of this novel treatment.MethodsSixteen consecutive patients with therapy-refractory SIJ pain were treated with PNS and followed for 4 years in 3 patients, 3 years in 6 patients, and 2 years in 1 patient. Quality of life, pain, and patient satisfaction were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index 2.0, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and International Patient Satisfaction Index.ResultsPatients reported a pain reduction from 8.8 to 1.6 (VAS) at 1 year ( P < .001), and 13 of 14 patients (92.9%) rated the therapy as effective (International Patient Satisfaction Index score ≤ 2). At 2 years, average pain score was 1.9 ( P < .001), and 9 of 10 patients (90.0%) considered the treatment a success. At 3 years, 8 of 9 patients (88.9%) were satisfied with the treatment results, reporting an average VAS of 2.0 ( P < .005). At 4 years, 2 of 3 patients were satisfied with the treatment results.ConclusionWe have shown for the first time that PNS is a successful long-term therapy for SIJ pain.Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

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