Longevity analysis of currently available deep brain stimulation devices.
OBJECTIVE
There continues to be debate about the surgical technique, electrophysiology, and hardware used in deep brain stimulation (DBS), despite its widespread use in medically intractable Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. This article is the first, to our knowledge, to compare the longevity of the available internal pulse generators (IPGs) of DBS (Kinetra and Soletra, Medtronics).


METHODS
We compared the elapsed time from the initial surgery to the first replacement of IPGs in patients with bilateral Soletra IPGs to those with the unilateral Kinetra IPG and analyzed the various stimulation parameters of each device.


RESULTS
The battery life of the Soletra system was significantly longer than that of the Kinetra and also allowed for higher voltages, longer use of monopolar mode, and a greater number of electrode contacts.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support superior battery life and a greater capacity for titration to symptom control with bilateral Soletra IPGs.
Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA.
Casey H
CH
Halpern
Kathryn R
KR
McGill
Gordon H
GH
Baltuch
Jurg L
JL
Jaggi
D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D058542:Implantable Neurostimulators / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies