• Daniel E Lumsden, Margaret Kaminska, Kylie Tustin, Hortensia Gimeno, Lesley Baker, Keyoumars Ashkan, Richard Selway, and Jean-Pierre Lin.
• Complex Motor Disorder Service, Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
• Childs Nerv Syst. 2012 Jul 1; 28 (7): 1091-7.

BackgroundThe finite life of non-rechargeable batteries powering implantable pulse generators (IPG) necessitates their periodic replacement. Children receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) may require frequent battery changes over their treatment lifetime.ObjectivesWe aimed to determine the battery life of IPGs used in pallidal DBS for the treatment of dystonia in children and young people.MethodsWe make use of a review of case notes of all children and young people undergoing DBS surgery at our institution from June 2005 to May 2010.ResultsA total of 54 children and young people underwent surgery on at least one occasion, with a total of 76 IPGs implanted. Replacement IPGs due to battery failure were required in 15 out of 54 (27.8%). The average time to battery failure was 24.5 ± 2.9 months (95% confidence interval), with a range of 13-39 months. Battery life was significantly longer in primary compared to subsequent IPGs. No difference in longevity was seen between different IPG devices.ConclusionsIPG battery life may be short in children and young people receiving treatment for dystonia. These findings highlight the potential benefits of the recently introduced rechargeable neurostimulators.

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