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Electrical Stimulation of the Spinal Cord: A Critical Review
Author(s) -
SELIGMAN LEE J.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1987.tb05946.x
Subject(s) - medicine , spinal cord , neuroanatomy , stimulation , neuroscience , spinal cord injury , intensive care medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychiatry , biology
Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord has been practiced as a therapy by the medical community for nearly two decades. Despite optimistic expectations, interest and participation in spinal cord stimulation have been moderate. Considering the declining number, worldwide, of papers dealing with this therapeutic method in humans, it appears that, following a surge of interest in the late 1970s, the technique is losing adherents (or, at best, progressing slowly.) Over the same period there has been rapid growth of much new clinical technology, particularly cardiac pacing. The reasons for this slow progress lie in several areas, including technology and neuroanatomy. It remains for the neurological research scientist to identify more precise and elective approaches to central neural therapy, and for the engineer to find better methods of directing stimulating energies to specific target tissues. Until such breakthroughs are realized, implanting physicians can only continue to analyze patient data in an attempt to refine the techniques that are possible today.