Long-term explantation risk in patients with chronic pain treated with spinal cord or dorsal root ganglion stimulation.

Objective: To investigate long-term explantation risks and causes for the explantation of neuromodulation devices for the treatment of chronic pain from different manufacturers.

Methods: This retrospective analysis included patients implanted with a system for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) or dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation at Sahlgrenska University Hospital between January 2012 and December 2022. Patient characteristics, explantation rates and causes for explantation were obtained by reviewing medical records.