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Hi all, There were questions about the costs of replacing a battery/stimulator used for DBS. Here is the answer I received from dr. Chris van der Linden, neurologist, working in the hospital in Gent, Belgium. By the neurosurgeon in this hospital a lot (45) of his patients were treated with DBS. ****************************************************** The replacement of the battery is very simple and can be done with local anaesthesia. So it can be done in a one day stay in hospital. The battery/stimulator is usualy placed below the skin, just below the collarbone. This battery is connected with a wire under the skin to the electrode in the brain. The electrode, once it is implanted, never needs replacement (unless in very rare and extreme cases in which the electrode is infected). In Gent we had to replace more than 15 batteries since 1996. These were batteries for pallidal stimulation, for which a much higher voltage is needed than for subthalamic stimulation. A battery costs $4,750. So the patient in the USA pays to much (while these stimulators are made in the USA). One day hospitalisation costs approximately $350. The estimated total costs for replacing the battery of a USA patient are: battery $ 4,750 surgery $ 350 hospitalisation $ 350 planeticket (1 person) $ 500 hotel (1 p./2 nights) $ 300 Total costs $ 6,250 If you want to be accompagnied by your caregiver (seems logical, because you always can feel not very well after surgery and you may need someone you can trust nearby): Additional costs: planeticket $ 500 hotel (1 p./2 nights) $ 300 Total extra costs $ 800 Comparing the total costs in Belgium with the costs in the USA it is clear that you are financially better off to have the replacement done in Belgium. As far as I can see there are no medical or technical risks or problems by having it done in Belgium. This is because replacing a battery in Belgium has become routine surgery. ***************************************************** Here ends the reaction of dr. Chris van der Linden. For those interested in the total costs of a bi-lateral DBS of the STN, in Gent, Belgium, here is a estimate made by me. In individual cases these costs can differ from this estimate, it's just to give you some idea: Again for a patient from the USA: Battery Left $ 4,750 Battery Right $ 4,750 Extension wire L $ 290 Extension wire R $ 290 Electrode L $ 1,220 Electrode R $ 1,220 "remote control" $ 270 Surgery $ 3,500 (10x $350?) 14 days in hospital $ 4,900 planeticket (1 person) $ 500 hotel (1 p./2 nights) $ 300 Total costs: $ 21,990 Additional costs if you take a caregiver along: planeticket $ 500 hotel (1p./16 nights) $ 2,400 (I presume staying with a belgian PWP could be a cheaper alternative). Hans.