Endoscopic Pericranial Flap Repair of Occipital-Frontal Electrode Erosion

Occipital-frontal nerve stimulation is an off-label therapy for treating chronic refractory migraine and orofacial pain. Though effective, patients experience a high rate of complications including lead migration and erosion through the overlying skin.

We present a case of frontal electrode erosion that was revised via pericranial flap repair. The patient presented with multiple lead migrations, necessitating multiple revision surgeries with eventual frontal wound dehiscence. The choice was made to wrap the electrode in a pericranial flap to prevent recurrent lead migration. Two weeks postoperatively, the wound was well healed and the patient reported that the midline electrode was functioning properly.

Pericranial flap revision confers little additional risk when compared with simple wound closure, and the surgeon can proceed without total electrode removal, additional incisions, or lead tunneling. The flap provides a highly vascular additional layer of stability to the electrode, reducing the likelihood of further lead exposure without compromising the efficacy of the device. These results suggest that endoscopic pericranial flap revision is a viable technique for the repair of occipital nerve stimulation lead erosions.