A DBS lead and microtextured strips, mounted with a fiberoptic displacement sensor, were embedded 15-mm deep inside a cadaveric porcine brain through holes on the skull. The local displacement of brain tissue surrounding each strip was detected along the direction of insertion by the optical sensor while the porcine head simulated brain shift during rotation between supine and upright postures.
The triangular toothed strip with protruding height of 250 渭m enabled a better grip of the surrounding brain tissue than standard DBS lead, minimizing local brain displacement to 77 渭m versus 326 渭m respectively, when the porcine head was shifted from the supine to the upright position as the result of gravity. In addition, brain tissue damage resulting from the removal of toothed strips exhibited less-extensive tissue disruption, attributable to the microtextured surface.
These preliminary results show that microtextured strips embedded into cadaveric porcine brain produce an anchoring effect on local tissue during brain shift, suggesting a way to reduce DBS lead migration without additional tissue damage beyond the strip geometry.