Nizhny Novgorod became the first site for the implantation of neurostimulators.

      In Nizhny Novgorod, on June 2-3, 2026, the University Clinic of PIMU conducted surgeries for the implantation of 32-contact spinal cord neurostimulators for patients with spinal cord injuries for the first time in Russia. It was the Nizhny Novgorod clinic that became the starting point for the implementation of this technology into routine practice in domestic healthcare.

      The unique interventions took place at the University Clinic of the Privolzhsky Research Medical University, located in Nizhny Novgorod, which has been building the city's reputation as one of the centers of high-tech medicine in Russia for many years. Here, patients with severe spinal cord injuries were implanted with 32-contact rechargeable, MRI-compatible neurostimulators and next-generation flat epidural electrodes.

      The installed systems use electrodes that cover up to three segments of the spinal cord in length and its entire cross-section, allowing for the formation of a volumetric electric field over the maximum area of nerve tissue. For Nizhny Novgorod patients, this means the emergence of advanced methods locally, in their home region, which were previously only available in experimental settings or by traveling to major federal centers.

      Since 2012, the direction of functional neurosurgery has been developing at PIMU in Nizhny Novgorod. During this time, more than a thousand high-tech interventions have been performed at the university clinic, including the implantation of epidural and cerebral electrodes, neurostimulators, and pumps. A team has been formed at the Nizhny Novgorod center that allows the city to claim the status of one of the leaders in Russian neuromodulation.

      Acting head of the neurosurgery department at the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the University Clinic of PIMU, neurosurgeon Andrey Dydykin emphasizes that now the technology, previously available only in experimental protocols, has become an ordinary clinical tool for Nizhny Novgorod doctors. The wide matrix of 32 contacts allows for fine-tuning of stimulation for specific patients from a control panel: reducing spasticity, activating weakened muscles, and incorporating neurostimulation into rehabilitation programs for residents of the region with motor disorders.

      Nizhny Novgorod transformed into a federal-level educational platform for several days: the surgeries became the central part of a master class for doctors from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Cheboksary, and Kurgan. The president of the National Association of Neuromodulation, Emil Isagulyan, came to Nizhny Novgorod as an expert, participating in the surgery and discussing clinical approaches.

      According to the expert, the development of such technologies in the regions, not just in capital centers, is fundamentally important: now patients in the Volga region and neighboring territories can receive new-level assistance right in Nizhny Novgorod. He noted that modern systems allow for simultaneous stimulation of the spinal cord to improve movements and sacral roots to correct the function of pelvic organs — previously, two different systems were required for this.

      The organizers of the master class are confident that the experience of the University Clinic of PIMU will serve as a basis for replicating the technology across the country. However, it is Nizhny Novgorod, where a strong neurosurgical school has been formed and the infrastructure for high-tech assistance has been developed, that remains the starting point for a new phase of treatment for patients with spinal cord injuries and diseases.

      Photo: from open sources

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      At the University Clinic of PIMU in Nizhny Novgorod, on June 2-3, surgeries for the implantation of next-generation 32-contact neurostimulators for patients with injuries and diseases were conducted for the first time in Russia. 15:03 03.06.2026 NIA Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod

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