Deep Brain Stimulation for Severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Participants undergo implantation of bilateral electrodes at both the VS/VC and STN sites through a single burr hole under general anaesthesia. High-resolution MRI scans are used to calculate target coordinates and to verify accurate electrode location post-surgery. Each STN electrode have 4 electrical contacts at its distal tip (with a 0.5mm separation) and each VS/VC electrode have 4 electrical contacts at its distal tip (with a 1.5mm separation) to allow fine tuning of the exact site for stimulation delivery. Two non-rechargeable batteries (Activa PC) are connected to the electrodes and positioned under the skin of the right and left chest wall so that they correspond to the same set of electrodes for each patient: one for the 2 STN electrodes and one for the 2 VC/VS electrodes.