title: [Spinal cord stimulation and failed back surgery syndrome. Clinical results with laminectomy electrodes].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spinal cord stimulation is a widely-accepted technique in the treatment of back pain resulting from failed back surgery. Classically, stimulation has been carried out with percutaneous electrodes implanted under local anaesthesia and sedation. However, the ease of migration and the difficulty of reproducing electrical paresthesias in large areas with such electrodes has led to increasing use of surgical plate leads, which have the disadvantage of the need for general anaesthesia and a laminectomy for implantation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to report the clinical results, technical details, advantages and benefits of laminectomy lead placement under epidural anaesthesia in failed back surgery syndrome cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal cord stimulation was performed in a total of 119 patients (52 men and 67 women), aged between 31 and 73 years (average, 47.3). Epidural anaesthesia was induced with ropivacaine. In all cases we inserted the octapolar or 16-polar lead in the epidural space through a small laminectomy. The final position of the leads was the vertebral level that provided coverage of the patient's pain. The electrodes were connected at dual-channel or rechargeable pulse generators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean follow-up of 4.7 years, the results in terms of improvement of the previous painful situation was satisfactory, with an analgesia level of 58% of axial pain and 60% of radicular pain in more than 70% of cases. None of the patients said that the surgery stage was painful or unpleasant. No serious complications were included in the group, but in 6 cases the system had to be explanted because of ineffectiveness or intolerance of long-term neurostimulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study, with a significant number of patients, used epidural anaesthesia for spinal cord stimulation of lead implants by laminectomy in failed back surgery syndromes. The technique seems to be safe and effective.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, España. Electronic address: garciamarch@msn.com.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: García March
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bordes
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roldán
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Real
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González Darder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D055111:Failed Back Surgery Syndrome / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058542:Implantable Neurostimulators; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062187:Spinal Cord Stimulation; D017211:Treatment Failure
keywords: Anestesia espinal; Cirugía de espalda fallida; Electrodo plano quirúrgico; Estimulación eléctrica medular; Failed back surgery syndrome; Laminectomy electrode; Spinal anaesthesia; Spinal cord stimulation