Long-term outcomes of semi-implantable functional electrical stimulation for central drop foot.

The study was retrospective and used routine clinical data, so formal screening was not performed. Patients were selected because they had central drop foot, could walk 20 m unassisted, and had benefited from or were tested with surface peroneal FES. The cohort was mixed, with 41 stroke patients and 4 multiple sclerosis patients, and the mean time from symptom onset to surgery was 5.9 years. Complete gait data were available for 33 patients at maximum speed and 32 patients at comfortable speed, and SF-36 data were available for 43 patients at 1 year. The study did not directly compare siFES with an ankle-foot orthosis or with surface FES for walking speed or quality of life. It did not evaluate strength, motor selectivity, sensation, ankle range, spasticity, walking distance, gait pattern, efficiency, or formal patient experience measures. Patients had already been given an orthotic device and were not satisfied with it, which may select for people more likely to pursue an implanted device.

No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied article text. The publication types list research support from a non-U.S. government source.

Do not read the faster walking with stimulation on as proof that semi-implantable FES is better than an ankle-foot orthosis or surface FES. The study compared stimulation on with off in the same implanted system and did not directly compare those devices.