Vagus nerve stimulation for medication-resistant generalized epilepsy. E04 VNS Study Group.

We treated 24 generalized epilepsy patients with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), comparing seizure rates during a 1-month baseline with 3 months of VNS. Median seizure rate reduction was -46%. Sixteen of the 24 patients had better than a -30% reduction and 11 of the 24 patients had better than a -50% reduction in seizure rate. A mild cough during stimulation occurred in six patients. Patients with higher baseline seizure rates and later ages at epilepsy onset had the best responses to VNS. Our findings suggest VNS is an effective treatment for medication-resistant generalized epilepsy even in patients as young as 4 years.