A new choice for the treatment of epilepsy: electrical auricula-vagus-stimulation

Preliminary reports have suggested that chronic, intermittent electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus nerve (VNS) is an effective treatment for patients who suffered from medically refractory epilepsy. But the traditional VNS is an invasive and implantable procedure that will bring some injury to the patient. Anatomic studies have confirmed the existence of auricular branch of the vagus nerve-Arnold nerve. The Arnold nerve mainly consists of afferent fibers and the superficial sites of the Arnold nerve are optimal for electrical stimulation. We hypothesized that electrical auricula-vagus-stimulation could be a new choice for the treatment of epilepsy.