Chronic stimulation via percutaneously inserted epidural electrodes.

Thirty-one patients suffering from intractable pain associated with chronic low back syndrome, cancer, and other disorders have been studied after an average of 6 months of treatment by electrical stimulation of the spinal cord applied using electrodes inserted through a Touhy needle into the epidural space. As judged by three different subjective rating methods, epidrual stimulation successfully relieved otherwise intractable chronic pain in from 23 to 26 of the 31 patients. Reported improvements in the ability to perform various everyday activities, and elimination of drug usage by many patients, corroborated this finding.