Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35638567›Full record

Observational studyEuropean journal of pain (London, England)2022

Changes in quantitative sensory testing and patient perspectives following spinal cord stimulation for persistent spinal pain syndrome: An observational study with long-term follow-up.

Yannick J G M Plantaz, Robert T M van Dongen, Richard L Witkam, Kris C P Vissers, Hans Timmerman

Open access · hybridAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in European journal of pain (London, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Yannick J G M PlantazDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0334-4653
Robert T M van DongenDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Richard L WitkamDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Kris C P VissersDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Hans TimmermanDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Radboud University Nijmegen · NLUniversity Medical Center Groningen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpinal cord stimulation (SCS) can impact sensory, pain and tolerance thresholds in various ways, which can be accessed via quantitative sensory testing (QST). The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the subjective sensory responses using QST in patients following SCS therapy for PSPS and (2) to get a clinical impression of the results of SCS during an interview of these patients with PSPS and SCS during long term follow-up.

methodsForty patients with PSPS who received SCS treatment underwent QST via electrical and mechanical pressure stimuli. QST was performed at four different moments (1) pre-implantation SCS, (2) two weeks postoperatively, (3) three months after permanent SCS implantation and (4) six months after permanent SCS implantation. Patients' perspectives on pain, use of drugs and quality of life were assessed via semi-structured interviews during a follow-up between 5 and 11 years.

resultsWe found statistical significant differences in the changes of sensory, pain and tolerance thresholds. A decrease in pain complaints and analgesics use were reported by the patients during follow-up. The quality of life in patients increased from three to eight (NRS 0 [worst QoL imaginable] -10 [best QoL imaginable]) after receiving SCS.

conclusionsThe increased thresholds on areas without pain or being covered by the SCS induced paresthesias may indicate that there are central changes contributing to these deviations in thresholds. The overall QoL in patients improved greatly after receiving SCS. SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides an overview of the effect of SCS on sensory, pain and tolerance thresholds in patients with PSPS throughout the SCS treatment process. In addition, this study presents data from 40 patients with PSPS treated with SCS, analysing several long-term patient-reported outcome measures. The results serve to give more insight into the mechanism of SCS and document SCS as a possible treatment for PSPS.

Indexed as

Chronic PainSpinal Cord StimulationFollow-Up StudiesHumansPain PerceptionQuality of LifeSpinal CordTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID35638567
PMCPMC9546026
OpenAlexW4281667692

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.