Study supports long-term VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) for epilepsy:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Cyberonics claims that the largest prospective long-term study of vagus nerve stimulation shows that the procedure is an effective long-term treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy and that its effectiveness increases over time. The median reduction in seizure frequency was 34% and 45% at a three- and 12-month follow-up respectively, revealed the 195-patient, 15-month, multicentre study, published in Epilepsia (September). Results also showed that 20% of patients sustained greater than 75% reduction in seizure occurrence at 12 months, said the Houston, Texas company. Cyberonics' NCP nerve stimulator was approved for treating epilepsy in the US in 1997.