Direct sacral root stimulation: Another possibility in chronic pelvic pain management

• Published in: Techniques in regional anesthesia & pain management 2010-07, Vol.14 (3), p.120-127
• Main Authors: Abejón, David, MD, FIPP, Pérez-Cajaraville, Juan, MD, Sánchez-Movilla, Arsenio, MD, Alonso, Isabel, MD, Del Saz, Javier, MD, Del Pozo, Cristina, MD, FIPP
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; Chronic pelvic pain; Constipation; Incontinence; Pain Medicine; Sacral root; Stimulation
• ISSN: 1084-208X; 1558-4534
• DOI: 10.1053/j.trap.2010.06.005

Objective The objective of this study was to explore the direct bilateral sacral root stimulation as another possibility in chronic pelvic pain management. Material and methods We implanted directly two Tined lead (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) electrodes in the sacral foramina at the S3 level, used for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain. Based on a sample of 20 patients with a mean of age of 57, this study comprised 3 groups: general surgery service patients—from the proctology section, which included patients with anal incontinence and a patient suffering from constipation; patients with diverse origins of chronic pelvic pain; and patients with lumbago in which the implant of this type of electrode was realized at subcutaneous level. Results After the test, the mean pain relief was 73.57 ± 13.7% (50-90). In-therapy pain relief was between 61.4% and 77.5%. Pain area coverage was 90% constantly. The average basal simple numeric scale in the whole group was 8.6 ± 0.8 and dropped to 3.8 ± 1.1, ( P = 0.03) with statistical significance of almost 5 points in the scale. Conclusions Even though this is not a new technique with a trajectory of more than 10 years, it is a completely new technique in the chronic pelvic pain area, representing some advantages over existing techniques, such as the ease of it and the lack of complications concerning coverage and migration.