View clinical trials related to Post-laminectomy Syndrome.
Filter by:Traditionally, pain relief through spinal cord stimulation has been associated with the appearance of paresthesia in the affected area. Several parameters are set to maximize the overexposure zone, such as frequency,and pulse width. Although this technique has improved pain in many patients, paresthesia itself can be uncomfortable. Traditionally, the occurrence of paresthesias has been considered to be a predictor of success in pain elimination, while the non-occurrence of paresthesias would indicate failure. So far, few studies have reported pain relief below the threshold of onset of paresthesia. Some clinical trials for pathologies other than the one considered in this study have achieved relief below the threshold by reducing the amplitude of the stimulus. Recently, however, it has been observed in a pilot study that, by increasing the frequency of spinal cord stimulation to 1 kilohertz, it is possible to significantly improve pain relief compared to less frequent conventional stimulation based on the occurrence of paresthesias. A recent review by the Cochrane Library concluded that conventional spinal cord stimulation for pain relief of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (or FBSS) requires further clinical studies and better designs to demonstrate its superiority over other therapeutic options. Therefore, although spinal cord stimulation is accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), new techniques are being introduced that offer better results in terms of pain relief. Among these techniques, there is the high frequency mode, which allows avoiding the annoying sensation of paresthesia that substitutes pain with the conventional technique. In order to provide greater rigour and scientific quality, the present study is proposed, in which the conventional spinal cord stimulation (CME) technique (control branch or CME) is compared with paresthesias and a standard frequency (60 hertz) with a high frequency (1000 hertz) EVOLVE system (Evolve workflow - standardized guidance to simplify the trial and implant experience and optimize patient outcomes) (experimental branch or EME) by means of a design with a high degree of scientific evidence, randomising the global sample of patients to each of the two branches of stimulation in the study (blind to the patient) and crossing the branches after a period of washing
For this study the investigators will conduct five-day trial periods for spinal cord stimulator (SCS) effectiveness—once a patient is deemed to be a possible SCS candidate, the trial leads are implanted and they are asked to return to clinic in five days to evaluate the effectiveness of the trial. The primary outcome for this study will be a comparison of daily energy expenditure (EE), in units of kcal/day, prior to and after the trial implantation of the SCS leads and external pulse generator. Patients will wear the accelerometer device twenty-four hours a day for five days prior to the trial lead implantation to obtain baseline values, have the trial leads implanted in the procedure clinic, then continue to wear the accelerometer for another five days. Baseline and post-SCS energy expenditure values will be compared. The secondary outcomes for this study will be steps taken, hours of sleep, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI, as described in appendix 1) during the pre and post trial implantation periods. SCS itself is not a research procedure in this study, rather it is part of routine medical care for patients who would benefit from the procedure.