The role of vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of refractory epilepsy: clinical outcomes and impact onquality of life.
Martorell-Llobregat C, González-López P, Luna E, Asensio-Asensio M, Jadraque-Rodríguez R, García-March G, Moreno-López P.
Neurologia (Engl Ed). 2021 Jun1;S2173-5808(21)00073-0
https://doi.org//10.1016/j.nrl.2019.04.002
Continuing the theme of vagus nerve stimulation (#VNS) and quality of life (#QoL) improvements, this recent publication by Martorell-Llobregat et al., 2021, aimed to retrospectively examine the effects of VNS on QoL parameters and seizure burden in patients with drug resistant epilepsy (#DRE).
Highlights
• Nine out of ten patients reported improvements in QoL post VNS implantation.
• Seizure duration and severity were reduced in 88% and 68% of the cases, respectively.
• 57.15% of the patients experienced a ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency.
The study included 70 patients (mean age: 30 years, range: 8-69 years) with refractory epilepsy treated with VNS. Outcome parameters included seizure frequency, severity, and duration as well as effects on QoL characteristics (measured by an adaptation of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy, #QOLIE-10, questionnaire). The study design consisted of a three-month-long baseline period and a 12-month follow-up.
Following VNS implantation, QoL improvements were reported in 93% of the cases, while seizure duration and severity were reduced in 88% and 68% of the patients, respectively. Furthermore, 57.15% of the subjects achieved a ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency. Interestingly, 15.7% of these patients were free of disabling seizures. However, no patients remained entirely #seizure-free post VNS implantation.
Noteworthy, alterations in QoL parameters were estimated using #cross-sectional analysis at the 12-month follow-up. Hence, any time-dependant effects/variations cannot be evaluated. Furthermore, the use of more comprehensive QoL questionnaires or measurements would be valuable for identifying specific effects of VNS. Nevertheless, VNS Therapy appears to be an effective treatment alternative that substantially improves QoL characteristics and reduces seizure burden in patients with DRE.
