A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis of Complications in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Surgery

Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established neurosurgical treatment for a variety of neurological disorders. DBS is generally considered a safe and effective neurosurgical procedure; however, surgical complications are inevitable and clinical outcomes may vary. The aim of this abstract was to describe DBS complications at a large clinical center in the United States.

Methods: We identified all patients who underwent DBS lead implantation at our center between 1st January 2012 and 1st January 2020. We extracted relevant information on patient demographics, surgical details, clinical complications, and clinical outcomes from the electronic medical records.

Results: A total of 777 leads were implanted in 452 patients (298 male, 154 female). The mean patient age at the time of the surgery was 64.1, with the mean disease duration of 13.3 years. The patient demographics and surgical details are further summarized in Table 1. There were no mortalities and forty-three readmissions within 30 days (mean = 13.6 days), The most common complications included pneumocephalus (n = 554), edema (n = 65), IPG discomfort (n = 31), altered mental state (n = 29), hemorrhage (n = 23), and infection (n = 23) (Table 2). Twenty-one leads had to be explanted, while sixteen were surgically revised, with the rationale for provided in Table 3.

Conclusion : Our findings suggest that the complications in DBS surgery are rare, with pneumocephalus, edema, and IPG discomfort being the most common. While largely in line with the published literature, the report further supports the clinical safety of DBS surgery in neurosurgical practice and adds to the convincing body of evidence that clinical benefits significantly outweigh the procedure-associated risks.