Papers of the Week

Visceral pain can be disabling for patients and challenging to treat in the clinic. Spinal cord stimulation is a NICE approved treatment for chronic neuropathic pain, presenting potential advantages over conventional therapies for managing chronic visceral pain. A retrospective study revealed that a specific type of spinal cord stimulation, BurstDR (Abbott, TX, USA), was effective at improving pain and quality of life in patients with chronic visceral pain. Baseline pain scores significantly correlated with change at follow-up, suggesting it may be possible to identify potential responders from the outset. BurstDR was safe: rates of revision, explantation and complications were low. Clinical trials exploring the long-term effects of BurstDR including a control arm are needed. Findings could have the potential to inform best practice and improve outcomes for individuals with chronic visceral pain.