symptoms of parkinsons disease : Deep brain stimulation-Risks

Risks

Deep brain stimulation is less risky than other surgical procedures used to treat Parkinson's disease. Risks may include:

Bleeding in the brain during the surgery, resulting in a stroke.
Numbness, tingling, twitching, or other abnormal sensations when the device is turned on. (These usually do not last long and can be eliminated by adjusting the programming of the deep brain stimulation device.)
Infection or skin irritation caused by the device in the chest (stimulator) or electrodes.
Break in the wire leading from the electrode to the stimulator. Repairing the problem requires another surgery but not usually in the brain itself.
Need for a new battery for the device. A battery typically will last about 5 years; surgery is needed to replace it. This is a relatively minor procedure and does not require surgery on the brain itself.
Failure or malfunction of the stimulator or the electrodes.
What To Think About

Deep brain stimulation may be considered as an addition to levodopa therapy, not a replacement for it. It does not cure Parkinson's disease and does not eliminate the need for medication. The surgery can help maintain and extend the benefits of levodopa therapy, but should not be considered for people with Parkinson's disease who also respond poorly to levodopa therapy.

One of the possible advantages of deep brain stimulation over "lesional" surgery for Parkinson's disease (such as pallidotomy) is that it can be reversed. While the effects of lesional surgery, which involves creating a lesion or intentionally destroying a small portion of the brain, are permanent, the electrodes used in deep brain stimulation can be turned off or removed if they cause problems.

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