Minimising the rate of vascular complications in Deep Brain Stimulation surgery for the management of Parkinson's disease: a single-centre 600-patient case series.

Abstract

Objectives: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an effective, yet underused therapy for people living with Parkinson's disease (PD) in whom tremor, motor fluctuations and/or dyskinesia are not satisfactorily controlled by oral medical therapy. Fear of vascular complications related to the operative procedure remains a strong reason for both the referrer and patient reluctance. We review the incidence of vascular complications in the first 600 patients with Parkinson's disease treated at our centre by a single neurologist/neurosurgical team.

Methods: Surgical data routinely collected for patients who underwent DBS implantation for the management of PD between the years 2001-2023 was retrospectively reviewed. Incidences of vascular complication were analysed in detail, examining causal factors.

Results: Including reimplantations, 600 consecutive DBS patients underwent implantation with 1222 DBS electrodes. Three patients (0.50%) experienced vascular complications.

Conclusion: This vascular complication rate is at the low end of that reported in the literature. Risk mitigation strategies discussed include a consistent neurosurgical team, dual methodology target and trajectory planning, control of cerebrospinal fluid egress during the procedure, use of a specialised microelectrode recording (MER)/macrostimulation electrode without an introducing brain cannula and low number of MER passes. A reduced vascular complication rate may improve the acceptability of DBS therapy for both patients and referrers.