ReviewClinical cardiology2001
Spinal cord stimulation for chronic intractable angina pectoris: a unified theory on its mechanism.
Review in Clinical cardiology, 2001. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Refractory Angina (RASCAL Study): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2016Trial
- Spinal cord stimulation is safe and feasible in patients with advanced heart failure: early clinical experience.European journal of heart failure · 2014Trial
- Functional coronary vascular disease: endotype-based classification, diagnosis, and targeted management.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Brain‑heart axis: Neurostimulation techniques in ischemic heart disease (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Spinal Cord Stimulation for Refractory Angina Pectoris: Current Status and Future Perspectives, a Narrative Review.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2025Review
- Design and rationale of the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation in patients with refractory angina pectoris (SCRAP) trial.Clinical cardiology · 2023Article
- Long-term efficacy and safety of spinal cord stimulation in patients with refractory angina pectoris.International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature · 2023Article
- Spinal cord stimulation for refractory pericarditis: a case report and a review of the mechanism of action.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Central Nervous System and Psychosocial Factors in Primary Microvascular Angina.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022Review
- Improvement in quality of life and angina pectoris: 1-year follow-up of patients with refractory angina pectoris and spinal cord stimulation.Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation · 2020Article
- Neuromodulation for Ventricular Tachycardia and Atrial Fibrillation: A Clinical Scenario-Based Review.JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2019Review
- Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Angina Pectoris.Current treatment options in cardiovascular medicine · 2004Article
- Uncommon areas of electrical stimulation for pain relief.Current review of pain · 2000Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic intractable anginal pain was first described in 1987. Numerous studies have demonstrated its efficacy in improving exercise tolerance, decreasing frequency of anginal episodes, and prolonging time to electrocardiographic signs of ischemia. This review will examine the potential mechanisms of this antianginal effect and propose a unified hypothesis explaining it. The effect of SCS involves a mutual interaction of decreased pain, decreased sympathetic tone, and a likely redistribution of myocardial blood flow to ischemic regions. Spinal cord stimulation reduces the transmission of nociceptive impulse via the spinothalamic tract due to an enhanced release of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) from dorsal horn interneurons. Improvement of myocardial blood flow at the microvascular level has been demonstrated by positron emission tomography (PET). A decreased sympathetic tone has been shown by norepinephrine kinetics, tests of sympathetic reflexes, and the use of ganglionic blockers. We hypothesize that SCS exerts its beneficial effects by decreasing pain and decreasing sympathetic tone, the result of which is decreased myocardial oxygen consumption along with an improved myocardial microcirculatory blood flow.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.