Intracerebral Infections as a Complication of Deep Brain Stimulation

Background: Intracerebral infections after deep brain stimulation (DBS) are rare. The published material is limited to 2 case reports. A review of 20 publications of 3,818 patients focusing on complications of DBS did not reveal one single case. For that reason, we decided to present our own experience of 4 patients with this complication. Objectives: To analyze and present our material regarding intracerebral infections after DBS. Methods: Four patients with intracerebral infection after DBS were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The 4 patients exhibited signs of intracerebral infection 2-14 days after DBS for Parkinson's disease. CT and MRI verified signs of possible cerebral involvement. In 3 patients, positive cultures were obtained from the extracted electrodes. All patients recovered completely following treatment with antibiotics and removal of the implanted hardware. Two of the patients were later re-implanted. Conclusions: Intracerebral infection is a rare complication of DBS. It does, however, occur occasionally and should be taken into consideration when evaluating the risks of DBS. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel