Invasive Neurostimulation During Pregnancy for Treatment of Epilepsy and Tourette Syndrome: Maternal and Fetal Outcomes.

Background and objectives: Invasive neurostimulation is rapidly becoming an established option for treatment of neurologic disorders, particularly those that are refractory to pharmacologic treatment. However, there is limited information on the use of neuromodulation during pregnancy. This study explores the safety and clinical outcomes of invasive neuromodulation-specifically vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and responsive neurostimulation (RNS)-in pregnant patients with epilepsy and movement disorders.

Methods: Pregnant patients treated with VNS, DBS, or RNS were identified, and charts were reviewed to extract data on maternal epilepsy/movement disorder, treatment, and pregnancy.

Results: A total of 14 patients (9 VNS, 3 DBS, 2 RNS) had 22 pregnancies. Neuromodulation indications included focal epilepsy (n = 6: 3 VNS, 2 RNS, 1 DBS), generalized epilepsy (n = 6: all VNS), and Tourette syndrome (n = 2: both DBS). The average age at implantation was 24.7 years for VNS, 29.6 years for DBS, and 28 years for RNS. Pregnancy complications included miscarriages (n = 4 pregnancies; 1 VNS, 2 DBS, 1 RNS), pre-eclampsia with fetal growth restriction (n = 3: 2 VNS, 1 DBS), and gestational diabetes (2 VNS). In addition, 10 pregnancies (8 VNS, 2 RNS) were complicated by seizure exacerbations. Delivery of eight of the pregnancies (5 VNS, 1 DBS, 2 RNS) was by cesarean section. There were no cases of maternal or neonatal mortality, and there were no major congenital malformations. Owing to exacerbated shortness of breath during the third trimester, 1 patient had her VNS turned off.

Discussion: Pregnancy complications were consistent with previous reports of patients with neurologic disorders. Despite limitations in sample size and confounding factors related to medication use and neurologic diagnosis, our study suggests that implanted neuromodulation devices do not seem to pose a risk of neuromodulation-related teratogenicity. While these data are promising and may provide some reassurance for patient counseling regarding pregnancy, further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary.