Long-term spinal cord stimulation in patients with critical limb ischemia increased cerebrospinal fluid beta-endorphin levels, providing an opioid mechanism for the pain relief and improved blood flow from this treatment.
Key findingSpinal cord stimulation in chronic critical limb ischemia patients increased CSF beta-endorphin levels, correlating with improved microvascular flow a
What the researchers found
Spinal cord stimulation in chronic critical limb ischemia patients increased CSF beta-endorphin levels, correlating with improved microvascular flow and wound healing — an endogenous opioid mechanism for SCS therapeutic effects.
Why it matters
Advances understanding in opioid-peptides, pain, clinical-trials research.
How the study worked
clinical-trial study. Details in abstract.
What this study cannot tell us
See abstract for study-specific limitations.
How to read the evidence
preliminary evidence from clinical-trial study.
When this study was published
Published in 2004.
The bigger picture
Contributes to the growing body of evidence in peptide research.
Questions still open
- Further research needed to confirm and extend findings.
- Clinical translation potential to be evaluated.
Common questions
What was studied?
What was found?
Read the original research
Opioid peptide response to spinal cord stimulation in chronic critical limb ischemia.
Peptides, 25(4), 571-5
Citation
Fontana, Fiorella; Bernardi, Pasquale; Lanfranchi, Giuseppina; Spampinato, Santi; Di Toro, Rosanna; Conti, Eleonora; Bonafè, Francesca; Coccheri, Sergio. (2004). Opioid peptide response to spinal cord stimulation in chronic critical limb ischemia.. Peptides, 25(4), 571-5.