Spinal cord stimulation in chronic pain syndromes

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used for more than 30 years now, and although it has shown to be effective under certain well-described conditions of chronic pain, conclusive evidence on its effectiveness is still sparse. There is a need for more prospective and methodological good studies, in order to prove SCS efficacy for new or still questionable indications and to reveal prognostic factors for successful application. Especially at this moment, when governments are trying to control and reduce their health care expenses, studies on the cost-effectiveness of SCS are important. In contrast to the early years when SCS was applied by independent physicians exploring the field of neurostimulation, the importance of information exchange and coordination of studies has now been recognized. Recent technical improvements of SCS devices may positively influence clinical outcome

Electrical neuromodulation for patients with cardiac diseases

<p>In this review we discuss the position of electrical neuromodulation as a safe and reversible adjuvant therapy for treatment of patients with chronic cardiac diseases who have become refractory to conventional strategies. In patients with chronic refractory angina, electrical neuromodulation, independent of the applied modality, has shown to reduce complaints of angina, to enhance exercise capacity, to improve quality of life and to employ anti-ischaemic effects. To date, electrical neuromodulation seems to be one of the best adjuvant therapies for these patients. In addition, neuromodulation in the treatment of heart failure and resistant arrhythmias is the subject of several ongoing studies.</p>