What is vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy?
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is indicated in adults and children who are not candidates for potentially curative surgical resections. These patients have medically intractable partial seizures. VNS rarely causes complete seizure remission. The degree of control with VNS appears to be similar to the newer anticonvulsants. The vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) is a small disc about the size of a small hockey puck that is surgically implanted under the skin on the chest wall or in the arm pit. A tiny wire is burrowed under the skin of the chest to the neck where the wire is attached to a nerve in the neck (the vagus nerve). The stimulator turns on for about 30 seconds every 5 minutes. Over time the current which passes up the vagal nerve to the brain will reduce the number and intensity of seizures in about 40-60% of patients. The surgery is done under general anesthesia and often the person goes home the same day.
