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BMC Neurology
Published in: BMC Neurology 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Case report

When battery exhaustion lets the lame walk: a case report on the importance of long-term stimulator monitoring in deep brain stimulation

Authors: Martin Sommer, Elisabeth Mirjam Stiksrud, Kajetan von Eckardstein, Veit Rohde, Walter Paulus

Published in: BMC Neurology | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

Deep brain stimulation is increasingly used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease. While its short-term effectiveness is well documented, there are only few reports on long-term outcomes, and the need to repeatedly reprogram the stimulator is seldom reported.

Case presentation

We present a 74-year-old man with gait impairment, which had been mistaken for worsening of the disease and only remitted when the stimulator battery was exhausted indicating that the stimulator itself had been the cause.

Conclusion

This case highlights the need to repeatedly monitor not only battery capacity, but also stimulator-related side-effects for an extended period after implantation and, if necessary, to refer to centres capable of systematically reprogramming the device.
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Metadata
Title
When battery exhaustion lets the lame walk: a case report on the importance of long-term stimulator monitoring in deep brain stimulation
Authors
Martin Sommer
Elisabeth Mirjam Stiksrud
Kajetan von Eckardstein
Veit Rohde
Walter Paulus
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Neurology / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2377
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-015-0365-6

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