Publication details
Long-term vagus nerve stimulation in children with focal epilepsy
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ane.12009 |
| Field | Neurology, neurosurgery, neurosciences |
| Keywords | child neurology; epilepsy; quality of life; seizures; treatment |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Objectives – The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and hospitalization rates in children with refractory focal epilepsy treated by vagus nerve stimulation. Materials and methods – We retrospectively analyzed 15 children with intractable focal epilepsy treated by vagus nerve stimulation (mean age of 14.6 +/- 2.5 years at the time of implantation). We analyzed the treatment effectiveness at 1, 2, and 5 year follow-up visits. We counted the average number of urgent hospitalizations and number of days of urgent hospitalization per year for each patient before and after the VNS implantation. Results – The mean seizure reduction was 42.5% at 1 year, 54.9% at 2 years, and 58.3% at 5 years. The number of responders was 7 (46.7%) at 1 year and 9 (60%) at both 2 and 5 years. The mean number of urgent hospitalizations per patient was 1.0 +/- 0.6 per year preoperatively and 0.3 +/- 0.5 per year post-operatively. The mean number of days of urgent hospitalization per patient was 9.3 +/- 6.1 per year preoperatively and 1.3 +/- 1.8 per year postoperatively. Conclusions – Vagus nerve stimulation is an effective method of treating children with refractory focal epilepsy. It leads to a substantial decrease in the number and duration of urgent hospitalizations. |