Spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease: results of a single-center study of 258 patients.

This report is of a retrospective study of data from 258 patients who received spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease as a result of arteriosclerosis. The patients' clinical outcomes were monitored over a period of 18 months. In patients with a low baseline transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO(2)) value of <10 mm Hg, limb survival at 18 months of follow-up (estimated by use of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis) was 77.8%, and this was even higher, at 89.5%, in patients with a medium baseline TcPO(2) value of 10-30 mm Hg. This successful treatment was accompanied by a sustained increase in TcPO(2) values to approximately 30 mm Hg in both of these groups. In looking at diabetic and nondiabetic patients, there is no difference in limb survival as a result of the treatment. It is concluded that SCS is an effective therapy in improving limb survival in patients with peripheral vascular disease. In addition, TcPO(2) values at baseline may be a useful predictor of treatment outcome.