U.S. FDA OKs Medtronic stimulator for back and leg pain

Last Updated: 2008-02-06 15:55:24 -0400 (Reuters Health)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Medtronic Inc. said on Wednesday that it had won U.S. regulatory approval for its implantable neurostimulation device to treat chronic back and leg pain.

The rechargeable device, known as RestoreUltra, allows patients to use a remote control to adjust the stimulation according to changing pain patterns.

Patients can fine-tune the stimulation, directing the electrical impulses to specific sites up and down the spinal cord and increase or decrease the intensity. Until now, customizing pain therapy was only possible with a physician programmer during an office visit, Medtronic said.

The system is currently approved in Europe and will be available in the United States by the end of February, the company said.