Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Clinical Trial
One-year outcomes of spinal cord stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
Spinal cord stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG-SCS) is a new therapy for treating chronic neuropathic pain. Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of DRG-SCS for pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, chronic postsurgical pain, and other etiologies through 6 months of treatment; this report describes the maintenance of pain relief, improvement in mood, and quality of life through 12 months. ⋯ Despite methodological differences in the literature, DRG-SCS appears to be comparable to traditional SCS in terms of pain relief and associated benefits in mood and quality of life. Its benefits may include the ability to achieve precise pain-paresthesia concordance, including in regions that are typically difficult to target with SCS, and to consistently maintain that coverage over time.
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Clinical Trial
Lack of body positional effects on paresthesias when stimulating the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in the treatment of chronic pain.
One prominent side effect from neurostimulation techniques, and in particular spinal cord stimulation (SCS), is the change in intensity of stimulation when moving from an upright (vertical) to a recumbent or supine (horizontal) position and vice versa. It is well understood that the effects of gravity combined with highly conductive cerebrospinal fluid provide the mechanism by which changes in body position can alter the intensity of stimulation-induced paresthesias. While these effects are well established for leads that are placed within the more medial aspects of the spinal canal, little is known about these potential effects in leads placed in the lateral epidural space and in particular within the neural foramina near the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). ⋯ Neuromodulation of the DRG produces paresthesias that remain consistent across body positions, suggesting that this paradigm may be less susceptible to positional effects than dorsal column stimulation.
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Comparative Study
Is preoperative pain duration important in spinal cord stimulation? A comparison between tonic and burst stimulation.
Conflicting data have been published as to whether the success rate of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is inversely proportional to the time interval from the initial onset of symptoms to implantation. Recently, a new stimulation design called burst stimulation has been developed that seems to exert its effect by modulating both the medial and lateral pain pathways and has a better effect than tonic stimulation on global pain, back pain, and limb pain. ⋯ These results suggest that the duration of pain is not an exclusion criterion for SCS and that similar success rates can be obtained for longstanding pain and pain of more recent onset.
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It is the purpose of this study to document our experience with the use of a 10-kHz high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (SCS) device for the relief of neuropathic pain of the upper and lower limbs. ⋯ In this small cohort of patients, high-frequency 10-kHz SCS reduced pain and improved quality of life. However, before we can conclude that high-frequency 10-kHz SCS for neuropathic pain of the upper and lower extremities is efficacious, a large-scale multicenter observational study should be performed to corroborate our small retrospective study.
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Case Reports
Intraoperative electromyography as an adjunct to sacral neuromodulation for chronic pelvic pain.
Sacral neuromodulation is an established technique for the treatment of chronic intractable pelvic and anorectal pain. Stimulation of sacral roots S2-4 is typically associated with therapeutic paresthesia, while stimulation of the S1 nerve root causes unwanted leg paresthesia. Here we describe and evaluate the use of intraoperative electromyography (EMG) of the gastrocnemius, foot intrinsic muscles, and anal sphincter as an adjunct to epidural stimulator placement. ⋯ Intraoperative EMG of the gastrocnemius, foot intrinsics, and anal sphincter may be a useful adjunct to sacral stimulation for pelvic pain.