Opening the Black Box: How Does Closed-Loop SCS Work and How Can It Be Improved?
Part of Closed-Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation: Evoking Potentials, Hopes, and Challenges
Details
- Date
- Saturday, January 23, 2027
- Time
- 4:32 PM – 4:44 PM
- Session type
- Concurrent Session
- Schedule
- See this day
About
Neuromodulation incorporating physiologic feedback from stimulated biologic targets to adjust output has been used for a while in cardiac pacemakers and deep brain stimulators but it is a relatively new development in spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Though early research has indicated the potential for more effective stimulation with closed-loop SCS while avoiding unwanted stimulation, questions abound about effectiveness and durability of closed-loop SCS. Further, as the algorithm for closed-loop SCS was developed with low-frequency tonic stimulation, it's potential use with higher frequency SCS modes remains unclear. This session will focus on enumerating the modalities for adaptive SCS, understanding the algorithms of closed-loop SCS including evoked compound action potentials, discussing the evidence for its efficacy, and exploring its role with higher frequency modes of SCS. The speakers in this session have clinical and research experience in evaluating new modes of SCS, explaining the applicability of closed loop SCS to the audience, identifying the lacunae in evidence, and proposing areas for further research.
Presenters
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Sandy Christiansen, MD, MCR
Associate Professor
Oregon Health and Science University · Portland, Oregon
Dr. Sandy Christiansen is double board-certified Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at OHSU. She serves as the Lead Physician for the Cancer Pain Program at the OHSU Comprehensive Pain Center, where she specializes in multimodal and interventional treatments for cancer, spine, headaches and neuropathic pain.
A recognized leader in cancer-related pain, Dr. Christiansen received the Dr. Lisa Stearns Award in 2022 for national clinical excellence in cancer pain interventional procedures. She has held several prominent leadership roles, including having served as the Chronic Pain Annual Meeting Chair for American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), Vice Chair of Translational Research for American Society of Pain & Neuroscience (ASPN) and Executive Committee Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Spine & Pain Society (PSPS).
Her dedication to education has earned her multiple honors, including the OHSU Dr. Edward J. Keenan Faculty Award for Distinguished Teaching and Preceptor of the Year Award.
Dr. Christiansen’s scholarly work focuses on pain education and cancer-related pain interventions.
She earned her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago, completed her pain medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and holds a Masters in Clinical Research from OHSU.