Unexpected outcome of pallidal deep brain stimulation in a patient with Tourette syndrome

A 30-year-old man underwent bilateral GPi DBS for refractory TS. His tics and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were significantly improved after chronic stimulation. At 22 months postoperatively, the implantable pulse generator had to be removed because of an infection in the infraclavicular pouch. However, we observed an unexpected effectiveness at follow-up more than 4 years after stopping the stimulation. This is the first case report of TS that showed a favorable long-term outcome after cessation of chronic GPi DBS.