Abstract
BACKGROUND: Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) has been used for chronic refractory pain, however its effectivity on neurovegetative systems has not been evaluated to data. OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of SCS in patients suffering from refractory neuropathic pain, related to analgesia, quality of life and neurovegetative actions on the digestive and urinary tracts. Fifteen patients acted as their own control related to all evaluations. P < 0.05 was considered significantly. RESULTS: 13 patients completed the study. The incidence of indication was 6% in our Center for Pain Treatment in the Teaching Hospital. The SCS improved quality of life, bowel transit and urinary function, as improved overall analgesia and decreased daily rescue analgesic (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with literature, the incidence of complications was 20%, and SCS improved analgesia and quality of life. In addition, patients also referred to improved bowel activity and urinary function.
Highlights
The physiological mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) are only partially understood
The effect of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) after spinal cord injury has been recently evaluated regarding colorectal and bladder functions in animals [3] and patients [4,5,6], its effect on the neurovegetative system in patients submitted to conventional SCS implantation after refractory neuropathic pain or Failed Back Pain Syndrome has not been addressed to date
We studied 15 patients with SCS devices which had been implanted to treat neuropathic chronic pain secondary to FBSS
Summary
The physiological mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) are only partially understood. SCS has been shown to increase release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA-A in the spinal cord and decrease glutamate levels. The study was designed to evaluate effectiveness of SCS for chronic refractory neuropathic pain, related to quality of life, analgesia, and neurovegetative (bladder, bowel) improvement. Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) has been used for chronic refractory pain, its effectivity on neurovegetative systems has not been evaluated to data. OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of SCS in patients suffering from refractory neuropathic pain, related to analgesia, quality of life and neurovegetative actions on the digestive and urinary tracts. The SCS improved quality of life, bowel transit and urinary function, as improved overall analgesia and decreased daily rescue analgesic (p < 0.001). Patients referred to improved bowel activity and urinary function
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