Bmc Surg
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparing the efficacy of targeted spinal cord stimulation (SCS) of the dorsal root ganglion with conventional medical management (CMM) in patients with chronic post-surgical inguinal pain: the SMASHING trial.
A significant number of patients who undergo a standard inguinal hernia repair or a Pfannenstiel incision develop chronic (> 3 months) post-surgical inguinal pain (PSIP) due to nerve entrapment. If medication or peripheral nerve blocks fail, surgery including neurectomies may offer relief. However, some patients do not respond to any of the currently available remedial treatment modalities. Targeted spinal cord stimulation (SCS) of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is a relatively new type of therapy that has a potential to significantly reduce chronic PSIP. The Axium® SCS System (Spinal Modulation Inc., NY, USA) has been shown to be safe and successful in small cohorts of PSIP patients. Aim of this study is to evaluate targeted spinal cord stimulation therapy in patients with PSIP. ⋯ Targeted SCS stimulation of the DRG using the Axium® SCS system will possibly offer significant pain reduction in patients with PSIP who are refractory to other treatment modalities.