Effectiveness of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in refractory
hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy-induced epilepsy.
Ther Adv Neurol Disord 2022;
15:17562864221144351. [PMID:
36578694 PMCID:
PMC9791287 DOI:
10.1177/17562864221144351]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Epilepsy is one of the important long-term sequelae of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and is typically characterized by drug resistance and poor surgical outcomes. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a promising neuromodulation therapy for refractory epilepsy.
Objectives
The present study aimed to first evaluate the effectiveness of VNS in patients with refractory HIE-induced epilepsy and scrutinize potential clinical predictors.
Methods
We retrospectively collected the outcomes of VNS in all patients with refractory HIE-induced epilepsy and at least 2 years of follow-up. Subgroups were classified as responders and nonresponders according to the effectiveness of VNS (⩾50% or <50% reduction in seizure frequency). Preoperative data were analyzed to screen for potential predictors of VNS effectiveness.
Results
A total of 55 patients with refractory HIE-induced epilepsy who underwent VNS therapy were enrolled. Responders represented 56.4% of patients, and 12.7% of patients achieved seizure freedom at the last follow-up. In addition, the responder rate increased over time with rates of 23.6%, 38.2%, 50.9%, and 56.4% at the 3-, 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups, respectively. After multivariate analysis, neonatal seizure was identified as a negative predictor (OR: 4.640, 95% CI: 1.129-19.066), and a predominant seizure type of generalized onset was identified as a positive predictor (OR: 0.261, 95% CI: 0.078-0.873) of VNS effectiveness.
Conclusion
VNS therapy was effective in patients with refractory HIE-induced epilepsy and was well tolerated over a 2-year follow-up period. VNS therapy demonstrated better effectiveness in patients without neonatal seizures or with a predominant seizure type of generalized onset.
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