Risks of intracranial hemorrhage in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving deep brain stimulation and ablation

Abstract Objectives This study analyzed risk factors for hemorrhage in a large series of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and ablation procedures in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Six hundred and forty four subjects with advanced PD treated with DBS or ablation procedures between March 1999 and December 2007 were enrolled in the study. Procedures were performed by the same surgeon, and included DBS in 126 patients, ablation in 507 patients and DBS after prior unilateral ablation procedures in 11 patients. Of 796 target procedures, 207 were DBS including 202 subthalamic nucleus (STN) targets, 3 ventralis intermedius nucleus (Vim) targets and 2 globus pallidus internus (GPi) targets, and the others were 589 ablation procedures including 474 GPi targets and 115 Vim targets. Postoperative CT or MRI was performed in all patients within 24 h of lead implantation or ablation treatment. Statistical correlation analysis of risk factors for intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was performed by stepwise logistic regression. Explanatory variables were patient age, sex, blood pressure, anatomical targets, the number of microelectrode recording (MER) penetrations and surgical modality. Results Postoperative symptomatic ICH occurred in 10 cases (8 pallidotomy and 2 thalamotomy) and asymptomatic ICH in 14 cases (9 pallidotomy, 4 thalamotomy and 1 DBS). Hypertension and surgical modality were significant factors contributing to hemorrhage (both P