Factors Predicting Clinically Relevant Pain Relief After Spinal Cord Stimulation for Patients With Chronic Low Back and/or Leg Pain: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

RATIONALE: To optimize results with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic low back pain (CLBP) and/or leg pain, including persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS), careful patient selection based on proved predictive factors is essential. Unfortunately, the necessary selection process required to optimize outcomes of SCS remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to evaluate predictive factors of clinically relevant pain relief after SCS for patients with CLBP and/or radicular leg pain, including PSPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In August 2023, PubMed, Cinahl, Cochrane, and EMBASE were searched to identify studies published between January 2010 and August 2023. Studies reporting the percentage of patients with ≥50% pain relief after SCS in patients with CLBP and leg pain, including PSPS at 12 or 24 months, were included. Meta-analysis was conducted to pool results for back, leg, and general pain relief. Predictive factors for pain relief after 12 months were examined using univariable and multivariable meta-regression. RESULTS: A total of 27 studies (2220 patients) were included for further analysis. The mean percentages of patients with substantial pain relief were 68% for leg pain, 63% for back pain, and 73% for general pain at 12 months follow-up, and 63% for leg pain, 59% for back pain, and 71% for general pain at 24 months follow-up assessment. The implantation method and baseline Oswestry Disability Index made the multivariable meta-regression model for ≥50% back pain relief. Sex and pain duration made the final model for ≥50% leg pain relief. Variable stimulation and implantation method made the final model for general pain relief. CONCLUSIONS: This review supports SCS as an effective pain-relieving treatment for CLBP and/or leg pain, and models were developed to predict substantial back and leg pain relief. To provide high-grade evidence for predictive factors, SCS studies of high quality are needed in which standardized factors predictive of SCS success, based on in-patient improvements, are monitored and reported.

Scoping review of early pain-related outcome domains and measurement instruments after degenerative lumbar spine surgery.

BACKGROUND: Optimization of perioperative pain interventions in lumbar spine surgery could reduce the incidence of acute and persistent postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Standardization in early outcome measurement provides a solid foundation for future clinical and research practices and should be integrated in core outcome sets for long-term treatment outcome evaluations. This scoping review provides an overview of outcomes used when evaluating early perioperative pain interventions after lumbar spine surgery. OBJECTIVES: To create an overview of outcome domains and measurement instruments previously used in research on perioperative pain management for degenerative lumbar spine surgery. EVIDENCE REVIEW: A scoping review was performed to identify articles comprising outcome evaluations in adult patients who undergo degenerative lumbar spine surgery, mentioning perioperative pain interventions. 75 articles were included for review. Data on study characteristics, outcome domains and measurement instruments were extracted and structured using the three-tiered hierarchy of Porter. FINDINGS: 12 outcome domains were identified: pain intensity (93.3%), adverse events (76%), analgesic consumption (70.7%), length of stay (52%), patient satisfaction (24%), daily functioning (22.7%), (early) mobilization (22.7%), quality of life (12%), mortality (9.3%), quality of recovery (6.7%), physical function (4%), and quality of sleep (2.7%). 63 corresponding measurement instruments were found. CONCLUSIONS: This review portrays an extensive overview of outcome measurements used in perioperative pain management in lumbar spine surgery. A lack of consensus on the set of indicators exists. This scoping review is a call for action to create consensus on how to evaluate perioperative pain interventions in degenerative lumbar spine surgery.

Semi-automated Computed Tomography Volumetry as a Proxy for Intracranial Pressure in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Clinical Feasibility Study.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with high mortality due to intracranial pressure (ICP). Whether computed tomography (CT) scanning of the brain within the first 24 h is indicative of intracranial hypertension is largely unknown. We assessed the feasibility of semi-automated CT segmentation in comparison with invasive ICP measurements. RELEVANCE: CT volumetry of the brain might provide ICP data when invasive monitoring is not possible or is undesirable. METHODS: We identified 33 patients with TBI who received a CT scan at admission and ICP monitoring within 24 h. Semi-automated segmentation of CT images in Matlab yielded cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and intracranial volume (ICV) data. The ratio CSF/ICV × 100 (expressed as a percentage) was used as a proxy for ICP. The association between invasive ICP and the CSF/ICV ratio was evaluated using a simple linear regression model and a mono-exponential function derived from previous research in animals. RESULTS: ICP is moderately but significantly associated with the CSF/ICV ratio (r = -0.44, p = 0.01). The mono-exponential function provided a better fit of the relationship between ICP and the CSF/ICV ratio than the linear model. CONCLUSION: Our feasibility TBI data show that cross-sectional volumetric CT measures are associated with ICP. This non-invasive method can be used in future studies to monitor patients who are not candidates for invasive monitoring or to evaluate therapy effects objectively.