Treatment of Unreconstructible Upper Extremity Arterial Occlusive Disease by Spinal Cord Stimulation

Abstract

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower limbs has been shown to be effective for pain reduction, limb salvage, and improvement of blood supply; however, treatment of PAD of the upper extremity by SCS has never been performed. Ten patients with unreconstructible severe PAD of the upper extremity were treated by SCS at the authors' institution. Transcutaneous oxygen tension index (chest TcPo2/hand TcPo2), Doppler wrist pressure index (WPI), capillary microscopy (red blood cell velocity, capillary density), and a patient's pain score graded from 1 to 10 (1 =no pain) were used as follow-up parameters. Pain reduction after SCS was excellent in all patients. TcPo2 index decreased from 1.95 ± 0.87 prior to implantation to 1.5 ± 1.1 at eighteen months. No significant improvement of capillary microscopy parameters or Doppler WPI could be observed. SCS effectively reduced pain and provided limb salvage in patients with severe unreconstructible PAD of the upper extremity; however, reduction of pain was not paralleled by improvement of the studied microcirculatory parameters.