Description
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been part of the pain clinician armamentarium for the last 30 years. The indications for SCS have been varied with mixed results during the first 2 decades of practice. However, the last 10 years have seen the emergence of firm evidence of the benefits of SCS in the management of intractable angina, pain and ulceration due to peripheral vascular disease and complex regional pain syndrome. SCS is an expensive intervention, and is therefore preceded by psychological screening as well as a trial stimulation in order to screen patients who may not benefit from the intervention. Overall, the procedure is minimally invasive, entirely reversible with few complications. The commonest complications relate to the position and integrity of the epidural electrodes.
