Delayed complications of deep brain stimulation: 16-year experience in 249 patients

Abstract

The best knowledge about DBS complications allows for better solutions. In case of infection, conservative treatment or partial removal of the DBS system appears to be safe and reasonable. Intracranial complications related to DBS material such as peri-lead edema and cyst formation have a good prognosis. They may appear long after DBS implantation.

Peri‐lead edema after deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's disease: a prospective magnetic resonance imaging study

“…The approximate incidence of this finding was of 0.4% and thus the authors defined it as a rare complication. In past years other authors have described radiological findings consistent with peri-electrode edema in patients following DBS lead placement [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. The literature indicates an extremely wide range from 0.4% [10] to 39% [2] for this complication.…”

“…In past years other authors have described radiological findings consistent with peri‐electrode edema in patients following DBS lead placement . The literature indicates an extremely wide range from 0.4% to 39% for this complication.…”

“…Of the 19 patients who underwent post-operative MRI, seven were female and 12 were male. Mean age at the time of surgery was 58 AE 7.9 (range 42-70) years, with a mean disease duration of 13 AE 3.1 (range [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] years.…”

“…The most frequently reported complications include hemorrhage, infection and hardware failure [1]. In recent years, non-infectious, delayed-onset post-operative cerebral edema around DBS electrodes has been reported as a rare complication of DBS surgery by different groups worldwide [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. According to the literature, its incidence ranges from 0.4% [10] to 39% [2], but methods for its detection are heterogeneous, including studies of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed only in selected patients and at different time intervals after surgery.…”

“…According to the literature, its incidence ranges from 0.4% [10] to 39% [2], but methods for its detection are heterogeneous, including studies of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed only in selected patients and at different time intervals after surgery. Most studies report post-operative edema as a symptomatic complication [3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]13], whereas others find it accidentally during routine imaging in asymptomatic patients [2,4,12]. The true prevalence of this entity is still unknown as no control MRI is routinely performed in the days after DBS surgery.…”