Functional preservation of deep brain stimulation electrodes after brain shift induced by traumatic subdural haematoma – case report

Abstract

A Parkinson's disease patient with deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation experienced an acute subdural haematoma (SDH) after a fall. The DBS electrodes and brain parenchyma were shifted. Fortunately, the patient recovered after craniectomy and removal of SDH, and the DBS was re-activated with the same parameters. Patients with DBS implants who suffer a traumatic brain injury do not necessarily incur permanent implant failure; there is every chance that the DBS may continue to work as reported here.

Keywords::

• brain shift
• deep brain stimulation
• traumatic subdural haemorrhage
• parkinsonism

Acknowledgements

We thank Mr. Joe Chiu for manuscript preparation.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

This study was supported in part by a grant DOH101-TD-B-111-004 from the Taiwan Department of Health Clinical Trial and Research Center of Excellence.