Vagus nerve stimulation may help reduce seizure frequency in Dravet
Treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy might work for some patients: Analysis
Although high-quality data are lacking, available evidence suggests that a procedure called vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) — which targets a large nerve connecting the brain and the gut — can help to reduce seizure frequency in some people with Dravet syndrome.
That’s according to a new study titled “Vagus nerve stimulation for the therapy of Dravet syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” which was published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.
“This study suggests that VNS is effective in the treatment of DS [Dravet syndrome] and it could be considered as a viable treatment option for DS. … However, few studies have focused on VNS for DS, and there is a lack of high-quality evidence,” its researchers wrote.
The vagus nerve is a large nerve that connects the brain to the abdomen and digestive tract. VNS, which involves electrically stimulating this nerve, is a well-established treatment used to reduce the frequency of seizures in people with drug-resistant epilepsy, but there’s not much data on its use in Dravet syndrome specifically.
Here, a trio of scientists in China conducted a meta-analysis to review the available data on the use of VNS in Dravet syndrome. Meta-analyses are a type of study in which researchers pool data from multiple previous works and analyze the data collectively. Because meta-analyses include data from multiple studies, they generally have more statistical power to detect meaningful effects.
Seizure frequency reduced for more than half of patients with VNS
This meta-analysis included data from 16 studies conducted across Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Collectively, the studies included findings for more than 170 people with Dravet syndrome who were treated with VNS.
In slightly more than half of the patients, VNS was effective in reducing seizure frequency by at least 50%, the results showed.
“This meta-analysis reveals that VNS is significantly effective in treating [Dravet syndrome] with an overall effective rate of 54%,” the researchers wrote.
The results were comparable when looking at studies with varying lengths of follow-up time, from as little as three months to as long as two years. That suggests that the efficacy of VNS is generally consistent over time when this intervention is used for long-term seizure management in Dravet patients, according to the researchers.
This meta-analysis reveals that VNS is significantly effective in treating [Dravet syndrome] with an overall effective rate of 54%.
The team noted that the effectiveness of VNS increased within the first six months of treatment, but added that “the efficacy of this therapy can be concluded only up to 6 months.”
Overall the data suggest that VNS “could be an effective treatment option” for people with Dravet syndrome, the researchers concluded.
However, they cautioned that the available data was limited, especially for long-term follow-up times. Thus, the team highlighted a need for additional research into the efficacy of VNS in Dravet syndrome. They also noted a need for more studies to delve into which Dravet patients are most likely to benefit from this intervention.
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