The study sought patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD), herniated disc (HD), or radicular pain syndrome (RPS) who were not candidates for surgery. Credit: Shutterstock / DC Studio

Medtronic has announced study results that show its differential target multiplexed (DTM) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy can significantly reduce pain in patients with chronic back pain, compared to conventional SCS therapy. .

The 12-month study was conducted across 20 centers in the US and examined Medtronic’s DTM SCS program against conventional spinal cord stimulation therapy and found that the DTM SCS program was able to significantly lower pain in patients suffering from a number of degenerative disorders.

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The study, an on-label, prospective, multi-centre trial dubbed NOVA, sought patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD), herniated disc (HD), or radicular pain syndrome (RPS) who were not candidates for surgery and trialled the DTM SCS system against conventional spinal cord stimulation.

Medtronic said that the study met its primary endpoints within three months, with more than half of participants reporting a significant drop in back pain over traditional treatment.

Results showed that  91% of patients using DTM SCS programming reported at least 50% back pain reduction compared to 25% of patients treated with conventional SCS. Additionally, 91% of patients using DTM SCS programming reported at least a 50% leg pain reduction compared to 35% of patients treated with conventional means.

Overall, the company said that results showed there was an overall average of 82% reduction in pain across all patients treated with the DTM system over 12 months, with pain scores measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

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Ricardo Vallejo, study author, said: “These highly encouraging results show that for indicated patients who are not eligible for spine surgery, attainable, sustainable chronic low back and leg pain relief is possible with DTM SCS therapy.

“Not only do these results show significant pain relief, but also reduced disability and a high degree of overall patient satisfaction. For those of us in the field who are treating these patients with limited options, that is music to the ears.”

The study additionally found a clinically significant reduction in disability, with 95% of subjects receiving DTM SCS programming reporting moderate to minimal disability at 12 months compared to a 52% baseline. In July of 2023, Medtronic was able to secure CE Mark approval for its closed-loop rechargeable spinal cord stimulator, Inceptiv.