Mechanisms and Outcome-Prognostication for Paresthesia-based and -Free Spinal Cord Stimulation

NCT ID: NCT03852381

Last Updated: 2026-01-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 90 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-05-16
• Study Completion Date: 2027-12-31

Brief Summary

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) relies on stimulation of pain-relieving pathways in the spinal cord to treat chronic neuropathic pain. Traditional paresthesia-based SCS (PB-SCS) relies on providing analgesia through stimulation of spinal cord dorsal columns but it is often associated with attenuation of analgesic benefit and lack of acceptance of paresthesias. Recently introduced three different paresthesia-free (PF-SCS) modes of stimulation aim to overcome limitations of PB-SCS. Several questions regarding PB and PF SCS modes remain unanswered including the mechanisms of therapeutic benefit, criteria for selecting patients likely to benefit, and long-term outcomes. A concerted effort is required to understand and optimize utilization of SCS. This project has the twin goals of using neuroimaging techniques to understand mechanisms that underlies analgesic benefit from PB/PF-SCS modes and to identify criteria for selecting patients based on monitoring of pain and its related domains in patients undergoing SCS trials. Achieving these objectives will increase probability of analgesic benefit while minimizing adverse effects and knowledge gains from this study will be applicable to other therapies for chronic pain conditions.

Detailed Description

Over 7 million Canadians suffer from chronic pain with 1 in 4 patients having neuropathic pain (NP), a condition caused by injury to nerves in the body. NP tends to have an extremely unpleasant character, severe intensity, and a persistent unremitting course. Conventional medical management (CMM) is often ineffective in relieving NP in majority of these patients. Paresthesia-Based Spinal Cord Stimulation (PB-SCS) has been used to treat NP but it has limitations in terms of preserving analgesic benefit and it is often associated with adverse effects. Recently introduced Paresthesia-Free SCS (PF-SCS), available at all tertiary level pain centers, has the potential to overcome these limitations but knowledge gaps remain in understanding and applying this modality.

The study design will be a prospective, exploratory study with randomization of order of no stimulation with novel modes of PF-SCS during the SCS trial and blinding of subjects (as per clinical standard of care) and outcome assessors. Participants with appropriate indications for trial of SCS with novel paresthesia-free modes will be enrolled. Baseline demographic and pain-related data including opioid intake in Oral Morphine Equivalents Per day in mg (OMED) will be collected. Pre-SCS trial neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG) and QST will be performed to establish parameters for future comparisons. Data on physical activity and sleep will be collected using actigraphy, as per standard of care. Data on pain and its related domains will be collected using validated questionnaires on the Manage My Pain app, in which all questionnaires administered are part of the patient's clinical standard of care. Ninety subjects will undergo a percutaneous trial of SCS that will last 12 days and the trial will be divided into three phases. All subjects will trial a conventional paresthesia-based SCS mode in the first four days of the trial. Subjects will then proceed the next four days (day 5-8) with no (placebo) stimulation, followed by one of the three novel PF-SCS modes (Burst, High Frequency, High Density) for the last 4 days of the trial. This process is currently adopted for all patients receiving SCS as standard of care. Neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG) and QST will be performed at the end of the SCS trial. Subjects who achieve significant reduction in pain, disability and sleep disturbance questionnaire scores with one of the novel PF-SCS modes will be offered percutaneous implantation of SCS system 4 to 6 weeks after the end of the trial using the novel PF-SCS mode they experienced during the trial. MEG and QST will be performed and data from validated questionnaires on the Manage My Pain app will be collected at 6 months after implantation.

Use of fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), MEG (Magnetoencephalography), and QST (Quantitative Sensory Testing) in this study will help improve understanding of the alteration in brain in NP and the analgesic action of PB/PF-SCS. Validation of wearable technology and of app-based digital platforms will allow these available but infrequently-used modalities to improve success of analgesic treatments in patients with chronic pain. Healthcare systems will benefit through efficient use of resources to treat chronic pain made possible by understanding what works, who does it work for, and how to predict analgesic benefit.

Conditions

Neuropathic Pain; Chronic Pain

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Spinal Cord Stimulation

At baseline, the following data will be recorded: standard-of-care questionnaire scores, neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG), psychophysical testing (QST), accelerometer sleep and activity data.

The trial will proceed as follows:

Day 1-4: Paresthesia-based SCS (PB-SCS)

Day 5-8: No SCS (placebo)

Day 9-12: PF-SCS

Neuroimaging and psychophysical testing will be conducted at the end of the trial, and will be assessed 6-months post-implantation of the SCS device along with adverse effects. A decision to implant the SCS system will be made based on reduction of patient pain intensity by 50% in PB-SCS and/or PF-SCS modes, but not with placebo SCS.

Based on the response in the trial, the patient will either not be a candidate for an SCS implant, or they will receive one of the four modes upon implantation (PB-SCS, or one of the three PF-SCS: Burst, High Frequency, High Density).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Paresthesia-based SCS(PB-SCS), with stimulating frequencies between 30 to 80 Hz that confer a tingling sensation. Three different paresthesia-free SCS (PF-SCS) modes that use frequencies in the range of 400-10,000 Hz include Burst, High Frequency stimulation at 1.2 kHz and High Density stimulation at 400 Hz.

Interventions

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Paresthesia-based SCS(PB-SCS), with stimulating frequencies between 30 to 80 Hz that confer a tingling sensation. Three different paresthesia-free SCS (PF-SCS) modes that use frequencies in the range of 400-10,000 Hz include Burst, High Frequency stimulation at 1.2 kHz and High Density stimulation at 400 Hz.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Adults, 18 - 80 years of age, with refractory neuropathic pain (as per clinical features and DN4 score > 3/10) in back and or lower limbs for more than 3 months following lumbar spine surgery

2. Severity of pain > 3/10 on NRS and ODI score for disability >40/100; and

3. Pain refractory to conventional medical management tried for at least 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Age < 18 or age ≥ 80 years;

2. Previous trial or implantation of SCS system;

3. Procedural contraindications to SCS including extensive thoracolumbar spine surgery, moderate-to-severe central canal stenosis, coagulopathy, local or systemic infection;

4. Pregnancy;

5. Opioid dose > 200 mg OMED;

6. Psychiatric or psychological disorder likely to impact perception of pain;

7. Inability to comply with the study interventions or evaluate treatment outcomes;

8. Mechanical spine instability as per flexion/extension lumbar X-rays;

9. Ongoing litigation issues related to the pain; and

10. Concomitant peripheral neuropathy or myopathy or central neuropathic pain (e.g. post-stroke pain).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

MSH-UHN AMO Innovation Fund

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University Health Network, Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Anuj Bhatia

Director, Anesthesia Chronic Pain Clinical Services

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Anuj Bhatia, MD FRCPC

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Health Network, Toronto

Locations

Toronto Western Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Canada

Central Contacts

Anuj Bhatia, MD FRCPC

Role: CONTACT

anuj.bhatia@uhn.ca

(416) 603-5800 ext. 6136

Jamal Kara

Role: CONTACT

jamal.kara@uhn.ca

(416) 603-5800 ext. 6237

Facility Contacts

Anuj Bhatia, MD FRCPC

Role: primary

anuj.bhatia@uhn.ca

(416) 603 5800 ext. 2308

Danielle Alvares

Role: backup

danielle.alvares@uhn.ca

(416) 603 5800 ext. 3517

References

Feigin G, Dana E, Bains V, Bhatia A. Evaluating patient satisfaction and perceived accuracy in questionnaires completed before vs. during a pain clinic visit. Pain Manag. 2025 Sep;15(9):571-576. doi: 10.1080/17581869.2025.2529773. Epub 2025 Jul 7.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 40623913 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

18-5864

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id