Direct Comparison of Posterior Subthalamic Area Stimulation versus Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

In this case report, we describe successful tremor capture via stimulation of the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) for a patient with tremor-predominant Parkinson's disease. In this scenario, the patient had a deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead placed in the PSA of the right hemisphere and a DBS lead placed in the subthalmic nucleus (STN) of the left hemisphere. Therefore, we were able to directly compare tremor capture in the same patient receiving stimulation in two different brain areas. We show that both placements are equally efficacious for tremor suppression, though the DBS lead placed in the PSA required slightly higher current intensity. This comparison in the same patient confirms that stimulation of the PSA can successfully suppress tremor in Parkinson's disease.