Karan N, Patnaik R, Priyanka DS, Sharma AK. Transient drooping lid after scalp block during deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2026; 14(11): 119896 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i11.119896]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Rohit Patnaik, DM, MD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Al Falah Street Al Danah Zone 1, Abu Dhabi 40330, United Arab Emirates. rohitpatnaik09@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Anesthesiology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Apr 16, 2026 (publication date) through Apr 15, 2026
Times Cited of This Article
Times Cited (0)
Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Cases
ISSN
2307-8960
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Karan N, Patnaik R, Priyanka DS, Sharma AK. Transient drooping lid after scalp block during deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2026; 14(11): 119896 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i11.119896]
Nupur Karan, Dasari Subha Priyanka, Anil Kumar Sharma, Department of Anaesthesiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur 492099, Chhattisgarh, India
Rohit Patnaik, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Abu Dhabi 40330, United Arab Emirates
Author contributions: Karan N wrote the original draft; Karan N and Patnaik R contributed to the conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Karan N, Patnaik R, Priyanka DS and Sharma AK participated in drafting the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Rohit Patnaik, DM, MD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Al Falah Street Al Danah Zone 1, Abu Dhabi 40330, United Arab Emirates. rohitpatnaik09@gmail.com
Received: February 10, 2026 Revised: February 19, 2026 Accepted: March 11, 2026 Published online: April 16, 2026 Processing time: 58 Days and 13.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Scalp block is a well-established regional anaesthetic technique in neurosurgery, particularly for awake procedures such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). While generally safe, rare complications can occur.
CASE SUMMARY
This report details a case of a 39-year-old male with drug-refractory Parkinson’s disease who developed unilateral complete ptosis following a scalp block administered for awake bilateral subthalamic nucleus DBS. The ptosis resolved spontaneously within 12 hours without intervention.
CONCLUSION
This case underscores the importance of understanding the anatomical basis of scalp innervation and the potential for rare complications.
Core Tip: This case report describes a rare case of transient unilateral ptosis occurring during awake deep brain stimulation (DBS) following a scalp block. A 39-year-old man undergoing bilateral subthalamic nucleus DBS developed complete left-sided ptosis 30 minutes after local anaesthetic infiltration, with normal ocular movements and pupillary responses. Imaging excluded surgical complications, and the ptosis resolved spontaneously within 12 hours. The report highlights how inadvertent spread of local anaesthetic along subgaleal or periorbital planes, or transient facial nerve involvement, can mimic neurologic injury. Recognizing this benign, self-limiting complication helps avoid unnecessary interventions during awake neurosurgical procedures.
