Twiddler's syndrome after dorsal root ganglion stimulation: A case report

Maarten Vanloon; Vincent Raymaekers; Sacha Meeuws; Mark Plazier

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18365

Twiddler's syndrome after dorsal root ganglion stimulation: A case report

Heliyon. 2023 Jul 15;9(8):e18365. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18365. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Maarten Vanloon¹, Vincent Raymaekers^{2

3

4}, Sacha Meeuws^{5

6}, Mark Plazier^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
² Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Antwerp, Belgium.
³ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Neurosurgery, Jessa Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium.
⁶ Study and Educational Center for Neurosurgery, Virga Jesse, Hasselt, Belgium.

Abstract

Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) is a promising therapy for chronic neuropathic pain, but complications of this therapy are poorly understood. Twiddler's syndrome, a rare complication characterized by lead displacement and coiling of wires, has been reported in other neuromodulation devices, but has not been described in the context of DRG-S. Here, we present a first-of-a-kind case report of Twiddler's syndrome occurring after 8 months of DRG-S. This case report highlights the importance of considering Twiddler's syndrome as a potential complication in patients undergoing DRG-S, especially in those with significant weight loss history.

Keywords: Complications; Dorsal root ganglion stimulation; Neurostimulation; Twiddler.

Publication types

Case Reports