Idiopathic Lead Migration: Concept and Variants of an Uncommon Cause of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Dysfunction.

Objectives: This cumulative case study was performed to properly address the possible mechanisms, forms, and consequences of "twiddler's," "reel," and "ratchet" syndromes.

Background: Twiddler's, reel, and ratchet syndromes are rare entities responsible for lead displacement of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED).

Methods: From 2007 to 2012, 1,472 CIED were implanted at our center. Eighty-nine cases were reviewed for failure of pacing circuit integrity. Only 9 met the inclusion criteria for idiopathic lead migration (ILM) and were grouped as ILM (twiddler) or ILM (reel). For a pooled analysis of cases, a review of the literature from 1990 to 2012 was performed, and the authors identified 78 cases from 64 publications.

Results: The study population consisted of 87 cases (45 women; median age, 66 years; 46 with ILM [twiddler] and 41 with ILM [reel]). Migration affected only 1 lead in 65% of 46 devices with more than 1 lead. None of the previously reported risk factors-manual manipulation of the device, elderly age, obesity, oversized pocket, and psychiatric history-correlated with the risk of ILM.

Conclusions: Neither manual manipulation of the device nor the other traditional risk factors reported in the literature for ILM syndrome correlated with the risk of ILM.