Securing dual ipsilateral leads through a single burr hole in deep brain stimulation surgery: Technical note

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery typically involves placement of a single lead through a burr hole, either unilaterally or bilaterally. Rare indications, however, call for placement of 2 ipsilateral leads. To date, there have been no technical descriptions of how best to secure dual ipsilateral leads to the skull. We describe a method of placing and securing 2 ipsilateral DBS leads through a single burr hole using standard cranial plating equipment and a simple modification to a burr hole-mounted anchoring ring. This method has been used safely in 6 patients without detectable displacement of the first lead during implantation of the second lead.