Effect of vagal nerve stimulation in a case of Tourette's syndrome and complex partial epilepsy.

We report on a 30-year-old man with Tourette's syndrome (TS) and medication-refractory epilepsy whose tics improved after implantation of a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS). To verify the patient's observation, we performed a blinded video assessment using the modified Rush video-based tic rating scale. The patient underwent two separate video recordings (VNS on and VNS off). A rater, blinded to patient's VNS status, evaluated the videos with the modified Rush video-based tic rating scale. There were improvements in total tic score and motor and phonic tic frequency. If verified by controlled clinical trials, this observation may provide insights into the pathophysiology of tics and may lead to a novel therapy for patients with severe TS. (c) 2006 Movement Disorder Society