Spinal cord stimulation for chronic abdominal pain

Abstract

Abdominal pain prompts about 16 million visits a year to primary care offices in the United States and is a major source of morbidity, lost productivity, and healthcare costs. About two million patients continue on to visit a specialist, usually a gastroenterologist [1]. Chronic abdominal pain of visceral origin can be difficult to treat. Over the past few years, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has emerged as a potential therapy for those patients who are refractory to medical therapies and less invasive interventional therapies.