Catastrophic failure of a Boston Scientific Artisan spinal cord stimulator.

To the Editor: INTRODUCTION The most common reasons for revision or removal of permanent spinal cord stimulator leads are infection and mechanical failure. Most mechanical failures involve displacement of an intact lead or a fracture of the wires within one or both electrodes. This is the report of a case of catastrophic failure of a paddle lead. The implications regarding certain fixation techniques and the information that is lacking in the literature will be discussed.