Surgical and hardware complications in subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation

Abstract

Objective To assess the surgical and hardware complications in 26 consecutive patients with movement disorders undergoing subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) in early practice at our institute. Methods The 26 patients in our institute were analyzed retrospectively. Group A included the first eight patients treated while we had no facility for microelectrode recording (MER), 16 intracranial procedures were performed and 8 batteries were implanted. Group B (with MER) included 18 patients, 35 intracranial procedures were performed and 18 batteries were implanted. Results The intracranial morbidity was 18.75% in group A and 5.71% in group B. The extracranial morbidity was 37.5% in group A and 16.67% in group B. There was no hardware-related infection in our study. The overall mortality rate was 7.69%, and deaths were not surgical related. Conclusions The associated morbidity is significant in STN-DBS. The use of MER may improve the clinical outcome while decreasing the morbidity.