title: Vagus nerve stimulation therapy in partial epilepsy: a review.
abstract: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked epileptic seizures. The majority of people given a diagnosis of epilepsy have a good prognosis, but 20-30 % will develop drug-resistant epilepsy. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulatory treatment that is used as an adjunctive therapy for treating people with medically refractory epilepsy. It consists of chronic intermittent electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve, delivered by a programmable pulse generator (Neuro-Cybernetic Prosthesis). In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration approved VNS as adjunctive treatment for medically refractory partial-onset seizures in adults and adolescents. This article reviews the literature from 1988 to nowadays. We discuss thoroughly the anatomy and physiology of vagus nerve and the potential mechanisms of actions and clinical applications involved in VNS therapy, as well as the management, safety, tolerability and effectiveness of VNS therapy. VNS for partial seizures appears to be an effective and well tolerated treatment in adult and pediatric patients. People noted improvements in feelings of well-being, alertness, memory and thinking skills, as well as mood. The adverse effect profile is substantially different from the adverse effect profile associated with antiepileptic drugs, making VNS a potential alternative for patients with difficulty tolerating antiepileptic drug adverse effects. Despite the passing years and the advent of promising neuromodulation technologies, VNS remains an efficacy treatment for people with medically refractory epilepsy. Past and ongoing investigations in other indications have provided signals of the therapeutic potential in a wide variety of conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, Institute of Translational Medicine, Clinical Sciences Centre for Research and Education, Lower Lane, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, UK. m.panebianco@liverpool.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panebianco
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Unit, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zavanone
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit and Rehabilitation Unit, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.|Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moëlle Epinière (ICM), UMPC-UMR 7225 CNRS-UMRS 975 INSERM, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4, place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Neurologic Unit, Garibaldi Hospital, 5, Piazza Santa Maria di Gesù, 95124, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Restivo
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Neurologic Unit, Garibaldi Hospital, 5, Piazza Santa Maria di Gesù, 95124, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavone
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants
keywords: Neuromodulation; Partial epilepsy; Vagus nerve stimulation