Spinal Cord Stimulation Reduces Chronic Angina Pain

Spinal Cord Stimulation Reduces Pain for Patients With Chronic Angina

For patients who suffer from the chronic, burning and crushing pain associated with refractory angina, spinal cord stimulation has shown to be a safe and effective treatment. Results of a research study conducted on refractory angina pain control through use of spinal cord stimulation will be presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) on Tuesday, April 27, 1999, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The AANS meeting, is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the world and focuses on the latest research and advances in the field.

"We are very excited about this study because our results indicate that spinal cord simulation helps drastically reduce the pain associated with refractory angina," said Peter Pahapill, MD, PhD, neurosurgical clinical fellow at the University of Toronto, and the primary author of the paper being presented. "This development should open up a tremendous amount of opportunity for patients who have lost the ability to engage in basic physical activities, such as walking or running, due to the evil pain cycle associated with refractory angina."

Angina affects more than 6 million people in the United States and is characterized by heavy, crushing pain that is usually felt behind the breastbone and spreads to the neck and arms. It is caused by a fatty build up called plaque in an artery, allowing little or no blood to flow to the heart. When blood flow is reduced, the heart must pump harder to meet its demands. This can lead to painful attacks associated with angina.

"Spinal cord stimulation helps to excite the arteries near the heart and, in turn, improve blood flow," said Dr. Pahapill. "This procedure has proven to not only decrease pain by 50 to 70 percent, but improve the patient's overall quality of life as well."

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a pain management strategy employed for certain types of chronic pain. In SCS for chronic angina, neuroelectrodes are implanted over the spinal cord and a receiver, which is programmed to receive a certain number, type and pattern of electrical impulses, is placed under the patient's skin. The system works by blocking pain messages from the spinal cord to the brain by sending an electrical impulse to selected nerve fibers in the spinal cord via a transmitter -- a small external device about the size of a pager.

Patients can turn the system off throughout the day simply by turning off the power source. The receiver also can be reprogrammed to increase or decrease the amount, type, and pattern of impulses as needed, but this is usually done by a physician.

European practitioners have used spinal cord stimulation for decades as a treatment modality for angina. In recent studies conducted in Sweden on more than 100 patients, researchers report that spinal cord stimulation helps the heart work more efficiently and, therefore, reduces the amount of oxygen needed by the heart.

"It is only recently that this form of treatment has been viewed as a potential therapeutic option for chronic chest pain in the United States and Canada," Dr. Pahapill said. "As it gains more acceptance in North America, it will probably represent a safe and successful therapeutic option for a significant portion of patients with heart disease."

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, The American Association of Neurological Surgeons is a scientific and education association with approximately 5,300 members in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active members must be certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the nervous system, brain, spinal cord and spinal column.

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For more information on the AANS, visit our Web site at www.neurosurgery.org.

Media Representatives : If you would like to attend the conference or interview a neurosurgeon - either on-site or via telephone - please contact the AANS Communications Department at (847) 692-9500 or call the Press Room at the meeting beginning Sunday afternoon, April 25, 1999 at (504) 670-6434.