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Patients who underwent implantation of dorsal column stimulators from 1970 to 1973 were reviewed 7-10 years following stimulation. The number who achieved satisfactory pain relief was not significant. The criteria for selecting these patients were reviewed utilizing those now used in 1980. 50% of the patients originally selected would now be rejected for psychological or drug-related reasons. This long-term evaluation indicates no benefit to the patients treated with spinal cord stimulation. However, it appears that psychological factors were the most important reasons for failure. A smaller group of patients studied for 3-5 years following implantation of epidural spinal cord stimulators achieved a 70% pain control rate. Selection factors that explain these differences are discussed.
Long et al. (Thu,) studied this question.