Delayed postoperative impedance issues in patients treated with deep brain stimulation: A single-center retrospective study.

Background: In rare circumstances, an implanted deep brain stimulation device will develop impedance issues across its contacts. Even more rare is the resultant inability to program a patient effectively, or that the patients' prior programming settings become unusable.

Objective: In this study we investigate this occurrence across the device manufacturers implanted, and whether this could be resolved.

Methods: The authors performed a retrospective review of all patients managed with DBS at HMH-Jersey Shore University Medical Center from October 2021 to January 2024.

Results: A total of 155 DBS patients were identified; thirty four patients with the Abbott system and 121 with the Medtronic system. Upon follow-up, 16 independent impedance issues were identified from 12 patients. Two patients (1.7 %) from the Medtronic group and 10 patients (29.4 %) from the Abbott group (p < .01). Falls were the most common significant event noted and occurred prior to 5 impedance issues (31.3 %). When falls were controlled for, 9 patients (11 impedance issues) were identified. All of these patients were from the Abbott group (p < 0.01). Revision surgery occurred in 7 (63.6 %) of these cases after an average of 1.05 years following primary implantation. Surgical replacement of the internal pulse generator (IPG) (n = 3), IPG and extension wires (n = 2), or IPG and lead revision (n = 1) resolved impedance in 6 cases.

Conclusion: Patients with the Abbott St. Jude DBS Systems have significantly higher rates of impedance issues requiring reoperation when compared to those implanted with the Medtronic Systems.