Introduction: Degenerative scoliosis, which is not relieved by conservative treatment, is mainly treated by direct spinal surgery. However, conventional direct spinal surgery under general anaesthesia may be associated with an increased risk of morbidity and increased surgical complications. The relatively minimally invasive spinal cord stimulation analgesia method, which can be performed under local anaesthesia, percutaneously and with less surgical stress, may offer an alternative and longterm analgesic therapy in such cases.

Material and method: In our institute, we planned direct spinal surgery for six patients with degenerative scoliosis suffering from intolerable backpain and lower limb pain. However, the presence of polymorbidity, we chose the lower risk spinal cord stimulation surgery as the first therapeutic option (6 women, mean age 71 ± 5 years). Patients completed a self-administered test battery before and after surgery (Oswestry Disability Questionnaire ODI, Visual Analogue Scale VAS; measuring back and lower limb pain separately). Questions on analgesic intake habits and satisfaction with therapeutic effect were also assessed. Average follow-up was 7±4 months.

Results: ODI decreased from preoperative average of 88 ± 8% to 37 ± 14% postoperatively, VAS (back) from 87 ± 16 mm to 47 ± 15 mm, VAS (lower limb) from 90 ± 17 mm to 7 ± 16 mm separately. Fifty percentage of patients did not require analgesic medication after stimulation, while the other 50% had reduced medication. All patients were satisfied with the results of spinal cord stimulation.

Conclusions: Our results show that spinal cord stimulation resulted in significant improvements in quality of life (ODI) and pain reductions in during the 7 months follow-up. In our opinion, spinal cord stimulation is an alternative to direct spinal surgery for the relief of back and lower extremity pain caused by degenerative scoliosis in polymorbid patients at high surgical risk.