To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu

Title: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduces Seizures in Children with Epilepsy: Presented at ECE

"Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduces Seizures in Children with Epilepsy: Presented at ECE"

By Mark Pownall Special to DG News BARCELONA, SPAIN -- October 9, 2002 -- Stimulation of the vagal nerve can reduce the frequency of seizures in children with catastrophic epilepsy by 20 percent (p=0.02), with a significant reduction in severity, researchers report. The results come from a small study by researchers at the epilepsy centre in Heeze and from the departments of neurosurgery and child neurology at the University of Maastricht, both in the Netherlands. They presented the findings here at the fifth European Congress on Epileptology (ECE). The longitudinal observational prospective cohort study tested the effects of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) on 19 children with Lennox-type syndromes. Of these, 13 had Lennox-Gastaut, three had Doose syndrome, one had myoclonic absence epilepsy and two had Dravet syndrome. The children had a mean age of 11 years and their epilepsy had first started at the mean age of two. Patients were followed up over 24 months at six month intervals, with a baseline magnetic resonance imaging scan and a battery of tests every six months, including electroencephalogram, neuropsychological examination, electrocardiogram, blood sampling to measure levels of anti epilepsy drugs, side effects and seizure frequency (noted in diaries). Results show that 22 percent of the children had a good response, with a reduction in seizure frequency of more than 50 percent. The improvement in seizure frequency lasted for at least the first 12 months after VNS. Electroencephalogram analysis suggests that more frequent occipital activity and low epileptic activity at baseline means a patient is more likely to respond to VNS. But the researchers acknowledged that the improvement was limited. They said that after treatment there was no negative impact on behaviour with a moderate improvement, alongside an improvement in mood and function. Scores for mental age improved, although this was independent of any control over seizures, the researchers said. The largest seizure reduction was seen in the patients with highest baseline mental function. A trend suggested that patients with myoclonic absence seizures responded better to vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) than other types, but the small study could not show whether or not the difference seen was statistically significant. Nearly two thirds of the children (63 percent) had minor side effects of cough, a tingle in the throat or hoarseness, which went away after a month.

Copyright © 2009 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content.