Vagus nerve stimulation in 16 children with refractory epilepsy
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2026
Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression
Published on: January 7, 2019
J Lundgren1, P Amark, G Blennow
1Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) improved seizure control in 6 of 16 children with refractory epilepsy. The treatment reduced seizure frequency, severity, and improved quality of life, though not all patients responded.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatric Epilepsy
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Refractory epilepsy in children presents significant challenges.
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) shows promise for seizure reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm the efficacy of VNS in pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy.
- To evaluate VNS effects on seizure frequency, severity, and quality of life.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 16 children (4-19 years) with refractory epilepsy received VNS therapy for 12-24 months.
- Data collected included seizure frequency, seizure severity, quality of life (QOL), and adverse events.
- Patients had either partial or generalized seizures, including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Main Results:
- Six out of 16 children achieved a ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency after 10-12 months.
- One child became seizure-free; average seizure severity score decreased.
- Quality of life improved by ≥50% in 6 children, but improvements in seizure control and QOL did not always align.
- Common side effects included hoarseness and electrical transmission issues; 5 stimulators were deactivated due to lack of efficacy.
Conclusions:
- VNS therapy demonstrated efficacy in a subset of children with refractory epilepsy.
- Improvements were observed in seizure frequency, seizure severity, and quality of life.
- VNS is a viable treatment option for carefully selected pediatric epilepsy patients.
Purpose:
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been reported to produce >90% reduction in the number of seizures in children with intractable epilepsy. These encouraging results need confirmation.
Methods:
Sixteen children, 10 boys and 6 girls aged 4-19 years, were treated with VNS (Cyberonics, Webster, TX, U.S.A.) for 12-24 months. Seizure frequency, seizure severity, changes in quality of life (QOL: visual analogue scale), and side effects were recorded. Eight children had partial and 8 had generalized seizures; 4 of the latter had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS).
Results:
During the tenth to twelfth month of VNS, 6 of 16 children experienced > or =50% reduction in seizure frequency. One girl became seizure-free. Seizure severity showed an average decrease in the score from 15 to 11. After 10 months of treatment, QOL was estimated to have improved > or =50% in 6 of 16 children. Reduction in seizure frequency, decreased seizure severity, and reported improvement in QOL did not entirely coincide. Six children experienced hoarseness, 1 had neck pain, 2 had hypersalivation, 2 experienced tiredness, 2 had aspiration episodes during liquid intake, and 6 had electrical transmission problems; in 4 the problem has been surgically corrected. Five stimulators were turned off due to lack of efficacy.
Conclusions:
Six of 16 children with refractory epilepsy treated with VNS improved, with a reduction not only in seizure frequency but also in seizure severity and in QOL.
