title: Effect of vagus nerve stimulation in an adult patient with Dravet syndrome: contribution to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy risk reduction?.
abstract: We report on a patient who developed, from 5 months of age, multiple seizure types, including myoclonic, associated with severe psychomotor delay, leading to the diagnosis of Dravet syndrome. Over the years, he developed refractory epilepsy and was implanted with a vagus nerve stimulator at the age of 19. After 3 months, he experienced a progressive improvement of partial and generalized seizures, with a >90% reduction, and better alertness. This meaningful clinical improvement is discussed in the light of the sudden unexpected death in epilepsy risk, which is high in this setting, and seems remarkably diminished in our patient in view of the reduction of generalized convulsions.
authors.affiliation: Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spatola
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Jeannet
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pollo
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wider
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Labrum
authors.forename: Andrea O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Rossetti
mesh_terms: D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult