Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) Treatment: Unleashing the Power of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

Introduction: Chronic lower back pain from Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) is persistent or developed after spinal surgery. With such a condition, there are two main treatment options categorized by conservative therapy and aggressive therapy. Regarding the second treatment, the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) as a low-risk and highly effective therapeutic option had received a level A evidence supporting. This systematic review purpuse is to evaluate the efficacy of SCS for FBSS patients, assessing its ability to suppress pain, interfer improvement of quality of life (QoL). Addicionally its effectiveness is compared with Conventional Medical Management (CMM).

Methods: This study followed the PRISMA guidelines to conduct a thorough systematic review in the PubMed/Medline and ScienceDirect databases. Studies with ambiguous results or low quality were eliminated. Only randomized clinical trials employing SCS as treatment for FBSS were included. Accordingly, statistical analysis were manaage to evaluate pain reduction and QoL improvement using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Short-Form 36 (SF-36).

Results: 610 patients with an average of 1.6 years follow-up period and a mean age of 59 were included in the analysis. Also patients undergoing SCS reported an improvement in 7 of the 8 QoL domains, with an standard pain alleviation of 42.88%. Meanwhile, just 9% of people who received CMM reported at least 50% pain alleviation, while 48% of people who had SCS saw the same degree of pain relief.

Conclusion : Compared with the CMM, SCS is superior showing a higher percentage of patients with considerable pain relief. As well as demonstrated to be a highly effective therapy option for FBSS that significantly reduces pain and enhances quality of life. At last, to improve the comprehension and implementation of SCS in managing FBSS, more studies are required.