The Aarhus Neuromodulation Database

Abstract

Objectives: €‚ Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is increasingly gaining widespread use as a treatment for chronic pain. A widely used electronic registry could play a pivotal role in improving this complex and cost-€intensive treatment. We aimed to construct a comprehensive, universally available data base for SCS.

Materials and methods: €‚ The design considerations behind a new online data base for SCS are presented; basic structure, technical issues, research applications, and future perspectives are described.

Results: €‚ The Aarhus Neuromodulation Database covers core SCS treatment parameters, including procedure-€related details and complications, and features recording of key success parameters such as pain intensity, work status, and quality of life. It combines easy access to patient information with exhaustive data extraction options, and it can readily be adapted and expanded to suit different needs, including other neuromodulation treatment modalities.

Conclusions: €‚ We believe that the data base described in this article offers a powerful and versatile data collection tool suited for both clinicians and researchers in the field. The basic data base structure is immediately available on a no€-cost basis, and we invite our colleagues to make use of the data base as part of the efforts to further the field of neuromodulation.

Keywords: Data base; electrical stimulation therapy; neuromodulation; registry; spinal cord stimulation.