Management of skin erosion following deep brain stimulation

Skin erosion is a hardware-related complication commonly described after deep brain stimulation (DBS). Despite the considerable incidence reported in literature, little is written about the management of this complication. In this report, we describe a case of noninfected device extrusion through the skin; in order to prevent infection and system removal, we performed a scalp reconstruction over the area of system exposure. During the follow-up, no signs of infection or fistula occurred and DBS efficacy was preserved. The paper shows the possibility to treat, in noninfectious cases, this frequent complication avoiding the psychological and clinical consequences related to implant removal.