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Beneficial Effects of Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation (cSCS) on Patients with Impaired Consciousness: A Preliminary Report
Author(s) -
MATSUI TORU,
ASANO TAKAO,
TAKAKURA KINTOMO,
YAMADA RYOUZOU,
HOSOBUCHI YOSHIO
Publication year - 1989
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.1540-8159.1989.tb02722.x
Subject(s) - medicine , spasticity , stimulation , spinal cord , anesthesia , subarachnoid hemorrhage , vasospasm , psychiatry
Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can be used for treatment of intractabie pain and spasticity. Based on our experimental findings cervical spinal cord stimulation (cSCS) was performed on eight patients with severe brain dysfunction due to traffic accidents, pronounced vasospasm caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage or surgery of huge cerebral tumors (chordoma). After a 1 to 2 month period of stimulation, two patients became conscious and began to speak. It remains unclear whether cSCS induced the restoration of consciousness and improved neurological deficits. Although the successful results might be due to chance, cSCS might have stimulated brain function. This preliminary report shows such excellent results that further studies are warranted.