Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS for short in English) has been used clinically for more than 10 years, and the main principle is to control seizures by stimulating the vagus nerve. This treatment is characterized by a more mature technique, continuous improvement of the stimulator and reduction in size.
The efficacy of VNS has been reported in the literature with 3% of patients achieving seizure freedom and most patients having reduced seizure frequency and severity. A study of 454 cases showed adherence rates to VNS treatment of 96.7% at 1 year, 84.7% at 2 years, and 71.2% at 3 years. seizures were reduced by an average of 35% at 1 year, 43.3% at 2 years, and 44.1% at 3 years. A 12-year follow-up study showed that VNS treatment reduced seizures by a mean of 26% at 1 year, 30% at 5 years, and 52% at 12 years, and also helped reduce AEDs and their side effects. Overall, VNS reduces seizures by about 50% in 1/3 of cases. vns treatment is more effective in children than in adults, and the results are stable. Overall, VNS is well tolerated with few serious adverse effects. The common adverse effects associated with VNS include: hoarseness (28%), sensory abnormalities (12%), dyspnea (3.2%), and reports of nausea, vomiting, dysphagia, and localized pain, to which patients tend to adapt gradually. The incidence of stimulation-related bradycardia, permanent vocal cord paralysis, and dysphagia is <1%, and the incidence of postoperative infection is 1.5%-3%.