Outcome of implanted spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of chronic pain: arachnoiditis versus single nerve root injury and mononeuropathy. Brief clinical note.

Over a 3 1/2-year period, a series of 20 chronic pain patients with back pain and with documented organic difficulties were treated by means of implanted spinal cord stimulation. Short-term treatment outcome was found to be significantly related to diagnosis, with single nerve root injury and mononeuropathy patients having better treatment outcomes than arachnoiditis patients with multiply injured nerve roots. Outcome was not related to the psychological evaluation, or age, sex, number of previous pain surgeries, pain location, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or the Pain Assessment Index. Implications for patient selection are discussed.