Full recovery after severe bacterial encephalitis and brain abscess following deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's disease

Encephalitis and cerebral abscesses are rare, serious complications of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. We report on two patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who developed a critical condition with focal neurological symptoms and decreased consciousness, after an initially uncomplicated subthalamic nucleus DBS implantation. Because of the clinical and radiological suspicion of encephalitis and brain abscess, DBS was explanted and the abscess drained. After prolonged antibiotic treatment they gradually fully recovered, with persistently improved PD symptoms in patient 1. Concluding, patients with DBS-related encephalitis or brain abscesses in a critical condition can have a favourable prognosis with proper and timely treatment.