Epiduroscopically guided percutaneous implantation of spinal cord stimulation electrodes

Due to a lumbar postdiscotomy syndrome, in the period from January to April, 1996, an SCS electrode was implanted, for the purpose of pain therapy, in five patients suffering from chronic pain, using epiduroscopic percutaneous SCS electrode implantation. Under local anaesthetic, an introducer system was inserted in the sacral canal of the patient. An epiduroscope (Phoenix Spine Scope from Clarus Medical Systems, Minneapolis, USA), together with a parallel SCS electrode (Model 3861 from Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, USA), was placed, with the aid of endoscopic monitoring, in the epidural target position. After a positive stimulation result could be intraoperatively obtained, the epiduroscope was withdrawn and the electrode implanted. The overall result assessed was good to very good. The epiduroscopic percutaneous SCS electrode implantation system might make a contribution towards the efforts aimed at the safe and, in particular, complication-free, epidural placement of SCS electrodes in conformity with the quality required.