Overview

• The safety analysis, published September 3 in Neurosurgery, compared 652 DBS procedures with prefrontal biopsies to 500 without at Mount Sinai from 2013 to 2024.
• No infections were reported in either group, and intracranial hemorrhage rates were similar (1.7% biopsy vs. 1.4% non-biopsy; p=0.88) as were seizures (0.2% vs. 0.4%; p=0.82).
• In a subset followed for about one year, the number of biopsies was not significantly associated with changes in cognitive health over time.
• The technique used standard stereotactic methods by a single neurosurgeon, with small, consistent samples taken before cauterization using a punch tool (mean 40 mm³; median 30 mm³ across 231 measured).
• Authors encourage other centers to adopt and validate the method, noting retrospective single-center design and disclosed industry consultancies as limitations.