title: Spinal cord stimulation for treatment of leg pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is expected to have analgesic effects in patients with neuropathic pain, ischemic pain, or mixed pain. The type of leg pain caused by lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is considered as mixed pain, which is expected to respond to SCS. However, there is no established view on the usefulness of SCS in the management of this type of pain. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating the efficacy of SCS against leg pain associated with LSS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected retrospectively for the period from January 2003 to December 2011 from 91 patients with LSS-associated leg pain enrolled to the SCS trial. SCS implantation was performed in patients who responded to the trial and desired to receive this therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate (percentage of patients showing 50% or greater alleviation of pain) in the trial was 65% (59/91 patients). SCS implantation was performed on 41 patients. The percentage of patients who showed a good response (definition is SCS continued for one year or longer after implantation) was 95% (39/41).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCS seemed to be effective against leg pain associated with LSS. Thus, SCS should be actively adopted in indicated patients as a method of treatment intermediate between conservative therapy and surgical therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamihara
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Tomoe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsunetoh
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tanada
authors.forename: Kazushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000473:pathology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062187:Spinal Cord Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Leg pain; lumbar spinal stenosis; pain relief; quality of life; spinal cord stimulation