Identification of signaling molecules associated with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome treated with spinal cord stimulation

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) is a relatively frequent entity that can cause a great limitation in the patients who suffer it. Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is used in those patients refractory to conventional therapies. This project aims to identify new functional molecular bases, defined with transcriptomic and proteomic profiles represented differentially in the serum of a series of patients with chronic pain caused by FBSS. Identification of "omic" markers for the diagnosis and monitoring of the process of establishing and maintaining pain, as well as the assessment of these changes as evolutionary markers of disease or predictors in response to treatment with SCS. We have included 30 patients with refractory FBSS who were treated with a SCS system. 23 of them responded to the therapy and 7 didn´t respond; in those patients the SCS was removed after 15 days of treatment. 15 control patients (operated who did not develop FBSS) were also included. We obtained blood samples before implantation of the SCS (T0), 15 days after the implant (T3) and 2 months after the implant (T4)