PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED STUDY ON THE CLINICAL EFFICACY OFSPINAL-CORD STIMULATION FOR REFRACTORY SEVERE ANGINA-PECTORIS

For the last 6 years Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) has been advocated for patients with therapeutic refractory angina pectoris2-4. We studie d the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation on the relief of otherwise i ntractable angina pectoris in a 2 months' randomized study with 1 year follow-up by quality of life parameters, cardiac parameters and compl ications. Twenty four patients were randomized to either an actively t reated group A (12 patients received the device within a 2 weeks' peri od) or a control group B (10 patients had an implantation after the st udy period). In both groups one patient dropped out before the implant ation but after the randomization. It is concluded that spinal cord st imulation improves both quality of life and cardiac parameters. The la tter included a trend towards reduction in ischaemia after implantatio n of the device in both treadmill exercise and 24-hour ambulatory Holt er recordings, with a concomitant better exercise capacity.