WHAT HAPPENS DURING DBS FOR OCD SURGERY?
A neurosurgeon will implant your Reclaim™ DBS system for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Usually the surgery lasts several hours, and the steps involved can vary depending upon the person. There may be some discomfort during the initial stages of the surgery. However, the placement of the leads is not painful (your brain is not sensitive to pain). Your doctor will be able to answer any questions you may have about the procedure.
Before the Procedure
You will be admitted to the hospital either the night before or the morning of your surgery. You may have your head shaved prior to surgery to help prevent infection.
During the Procedure
The duration of the procedure and the specific steps involved can vary.
Your surgery may consist of the following steps:
Placing the leads
Your neurosurgeon will first place the leads in the brain, guided by images taken with MRI and CT scan to determine the precise location. For this part of the surgery, you may be either awake or asleep (under deep sedation or general anesthesia) depending on your neurosurgeon’s recommendation.
Implanting the neurostimulator (battery)
The neurostimulator may be implanted on the same day or on a different day a few weeks later. After checking that the leads are properly positioned, your neurosurgeon will place the neurostimulator under the skin of your chest, just below the collar bone. Your neurosurgeon will connect the leads to the neurostimulator with extensions that run under the skin from the chest to your neck and head. You will be under general anesthesia for this procedure.
After the Procedure
Once your body has healed following the implant procedure, your doctor will program the neurostimulator to start sending the electrical pulses that may help control your symptoms. He or she will adjust your stimulation wirelessly. The process is non-invasive and may take a few hours to complete.
It may take several visits to adjust the stimulation before the best settings for you are determined. Over time further adjustments may be necessary.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
Humanitarian Device: Authorized by Federal (U.S.A.) law for use as an adjunct to medications and as an alternative to anterior capsulotomy for treatment of chronic, severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adult patients who have failed at least three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.