Vagus nerve stimulation for refractory status epilepticus.
We report on the long-term follow-up of a patient with refractory non-convulsive SE who was successfully treated with VNS. A 7-year old girl with a medical history of thrombosis in the right internal cerebral vein and right thalamic bleeding 8 days after birth, developed epilepsy at the age of 13 months. At the age of 6 she presented with a refractory non-convulsive SE. A vagus nerve stimulator was placed after 11 days of thiopental-induced coma. Three days after VNS implantation, the thiopental-induced coma was successfully withdrawn and electroencephalography showed normalization one week after start of VNS. After a follow-up of 13 months she remains seizure-free and AEDs have been partially tapered. This case illustrates a potential acute abortive effect with sustained long-term seizure reduction of VNS in a 7-year old girl who presented with refractory non-convulsive SE.
De Herdt
Veerle
V
Department of Neurology, Reference Center for Refractory Epilepsy, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. veerle.deherdt@ugent.be
Waterschoot
Liesbeth
L
Vonck
Kristl
K
Dermaut
Bart
B
Verhelst
Helene
H
Van Coster
Rudy
R
De Jaeger
Annick
A
Van Roost
Dirk
D
Boon
Paul
P
D002648:Child; D003128:Coma / Q000139:chemically induced; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013874:Thiopental / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods
D013874:Thiopental