Spinal Cord Stimulation for Central Poststroke Pain

Abstract

Although spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been shown to be effective for treating neuropathic pain of peripheral origin, its effectiveness for central poststroke pain (CPSP) is not well established. We report our experience with SCS in 30 consecutive patients with intractable CPSP. All patients underwent a percutaneous SCS trial. When patients decided to proceed, they received a permanent SCS system. Pain intensity was evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS). The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale was also assessed at the latest follow-up visit as an indicator of overall improvement. During trial stimulation, pain relief was good (> or =50% VAS score reduction) in 9 patients (30%), fair (30%-49% reduction) in 6 patients (20%), and poor (<30% reduction) in 15 patients (50%). Ten patients elected to receive a permanent SCS system. Nine of these 10 patients were followed long-term (mean, 28 months; range, 6-62 months). Seven patients reported significant pain relief on the VAS (5 = good and 2 = fair). On the PGIC scale, 6 of these 7 patients reported a rating of 2 (much improved) and 1 reported a rating of 3 (minimally improved). Of the remaining 2 patients, 1 reported a rating of 4 (no change) and 1 reported a rating of 5 (minimally worse). The median VAS score in the 9 patients decreased significantly from 8.6 (range, 6.0-10.0) to 4.5 (range, 3.0-8.0; P = .008). There were no significant reported complications. SCS may provide improved pain control in a group of patients with intractable CPSP and may have therapeutic potential for intractable CPSP.