Seizure. 2010 Oct 27. [Epub ahead of print]

Efficacy and tolerability of long-term treatment with vagus nerve stimulation in adolescents and adults with refractory epilepsy and learning disabilities.

Lund C, Kostov H, Blomskjøld B, Nakken KO.

National Centre for Epilepsy, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

The long-term effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on seizure frequency were studied in 50 patients with epilepsy and learning disabilities. Mean observation time was 4.6 years. At follow-up, none of the patients was seizure-free, 25% had more than 50% seizure reduction, and 46% had some seizure reduction, but less than 50%. The discontinuation rate was 18%. Our results indicate that, like antiepileptic drugs, VNS does not have such a good seizure-reducing effect in patients with epilepsy and learning disabilities compared with the general epilepsy population.
Copyright © 2010 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID: 21035358 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035358