A Rare Case of Spinal Cord Injury After Uncomplicated Implantation of a Spinal Cord Stimulator: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an efficacious, safe, and well-documented procedure for treating chronic refractory pain syndromes. We report a rare case of spinal cord injury (SCI) after SCS implantation in a 54-year-old woman.

CASE REPORT: A 54-year-old woman underwent reimplantation of a new SCS following an acute L2 compression fracture that led to significant pain and dysesthesia. The intraoperative course was uncomplicated. Immediately postoperatively, the patient experienced an inability to move her right leg, with magnetic resonance imaging showing epidural fluid collections at the level of lead insertion; after subsequent removal of the SCS, the patient continued to experience paralysis in the right leg, with the development of painful neuropathy and allodynia. The patient was sent to acute rehabilitation, where her lower limb strength gradually improved, but has not returned to baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

This case provides a useful clinical and procedural case on postoperative SCI after an uncomplicated SCS implantation.