Deep brain stimulation: Complications and attempts at avoiding them

Abstract

Deep brain stimulation is the most frequent neurosurgical procedure for movement disorders. While this elective procedure is well-tolerated by most patients and very effective, it is not free of complications. These may occur at any step in the DBS procedure, starting with patient selection but may also occur years post-operatively. Most early problems relate to hemorrhage and infection, while most late complications are secondary to hardware failure. This review analyzes the complications that may occur, with emphasis on surgery-related complications for movement disorders and ways to avoid them. While these risks are very low in comparison to other neurosurgical procedures, DBS is still an elective procedure that necessitates extensive care and precision. © Bakay and Smith; Licensee Bentham Open.