CRD summary The aim was to assess the cost-effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation compared with conventional medical management or reoperation, for patients with failed back surgery syndrome. The authors concluded that spinal cord stimulation was a cost-effective addition to conventional medical management and alternative to reoperation, for these patients. The methods and the reporting of th...

OBJECTIVE Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a term embracing a constellation of conditions that describes persistent or recurring low back pain, with or without sciatica following one or more spine surgeries. It has been shown in animals that electrical stimulation of the high cervical C2 area can suppress pain stimuli derived from the L5-S1 dermatome. It is unknown whether C2 electrical s...

OBJECTIVE The authors show the clinical evaluation and follow-up results in 56 patients diagnosed with a failed back surgery pain syndrome. METHODS Descriptive and prospective study conducted over a one-year period. In this study, 56 patients with a failed back surgery pain syndrome were assessed in our facility. The age ranged from 28 to 76 years (mean, 48.8 ± 13.9 years). The pain was asses...

OBJECTIVES Healthcare policy makers and payers require cost-effectiveness evidence to inform their treatment funding decisions. Thus, in 2008, the United Kingdom's National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence analyzed the cost effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) compared with conventional medical management (CMM) and with reoperation and recommended approval of SCS in selecte...