Simultaneous thalamic deep brain stimulation and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Thalamic deep brain stimulation is becoming increasingly popular for the control of drug-refractory tremor. Implantable cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators are commonly used therapeutic modalities. Concerns exist about the potential interactions between these 2 devices in the same patient, but no experience has been reported previously. We describe a patient with essential tremor who had a deep brain stimulator implanted into the left ventral intermediate nucleus of thalamus, who subsequently needed an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. Despite concerns about possible interactions between the 2 types of implanted electrical devices (i.e., a situation similar to drug-drug interactions), the deep brain stimulator and the implanted pacemaker-defibrillator functioned appropriately, and no interaction occurred in our patient.
Obwegeser
A A
AA
Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. 32224, USA.
Uitti
R J
RJ
Turk
M F
MF
Wszolek
U M
UM
Flipse
T R
TR
Smallridge
R C
RC
Witte
R J
RJ
Wharen
R E
RE
D000368:Aged; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004869:Equipment Safety; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*