The cost effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of pain: a systematic review of the literature.

In this systematic review, we identified and evaluated studies of the cost effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of chronic pain. Published reports were identified from a systematic search of a number of general medical electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE), and specialist economic databases (NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination Economic Evaluation Database, and Health Economics Evaluation Database). Reference lists of retrieved reports were also searched, and contact was made with experts in the field. Of the 99 abstracts identified, 14 studies were considered to meet the inclusion criteria of the review. We found that across a range of medical indications, the initial healthcare acquisition costs of SCS implantation are consistently offset by a reduction in post-implant healthcare resource demand and costs. Further research is required to formally examine the cost effectiveness of SCS.