Tamura Kentaro, Sasaki Ryota, Sakakibara Takafumi, Dahal Riju, Takeshima Yasuhiro, Matsuda Ryosuke, Yamada Shuichi, Nishimura Fumihiko, Nakagawa Ichiro, Park Young-Soo, Hirabayashi Hidehiro, Nakase Hiroyuki
Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University.
Epilepsy Center, National Hospital Organization Nara Medical Center.
Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo). 2023 Jul 15;63(7):273-282. doi: 10.2176/jns-nmc.2022-0280. Epub 2023 Apr 13.
A vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device delivers electrical pulses to the vagus nerve at a rhythm defined by the duty cycle. The standard therapeutic range is advocated for an output current of 1.5-2.25 mA and a duty cycle of 10%. As the optimal settings vary from patient to patient, some patients may benefit from additional seizure reduction when stimulated beyond the standard range. A total of 74 patients (15 children aged <12 years and 59 adolescents/adults) who underwent VNS implantation between 2011 and 2020 and who were followed up for at least 2 years were included in this retrospective study. Stimulation parameters exceeding 2.25 mA of output current, 25% of duty cycle, and 0.5625 (2.25 mA × 25%) of current × duty cycle were defined as high stimulation. The proportion achieved an additional seizure reduction of 20%, and the 50% seizure reduction rate at the last follow-up was compared between adolescents/adults and children. Approximately 40% of patients in adolescents/adults treated with high stimulation experienced an additional acute effect, resulting in a 50% or greater reduction in seizures in almost all patients. Moreover, in adolescents/adults, 22.2%-41.9% of the patients were treated with high stimulation, and the responder rate was 69.5%. Conversely, the responder rate in children was 26.7%, significantly worse than that in adolescents/adults, despite higher stimulation. VNS with high-stimulation settings is effective for adolescent and adult patients with intractable epilepsy. Even high stimulation may not be effective in extremely refractory pediatric epilepsy with a high seizure frequency.
迷走神经刺激(VNS)装置以由占空比定义的节律向迷走神经输送电脉冲。标准治疗范围主张输出电流为1.5 - 2.25 mA,占空比为10%。由于最佳设置因患者而异,一些患者在超出标准范围刺激时可能会从额外的癫痫发作减少中获益。本回顾性研究纳入了2011年至2020年间接受VNS植入且随访至少2年的74例患者(15例年龄<12岁的儿童和59例青少年/成人)。输出电流超过2.25 mA、占空比超过25%以及电流×占空比超过0.5625(2.25 mA×25%)的刺激参数被定义为高刺激。比较了青少年/成人和儿童中实现额外20%癫痫发作减少的比例以及最后一次随访时50%癫痫发作减少率。在接受高刺激治疗的青少年/成人患者中,约40%经历了额外的急性效应,几乎所有患者的癫痫发作减少了50%或更多。此外,在青少年/成人中,22.2% - 41.9%的患者接受了高刺激治疗,缓解率为69.5%。相反,儿童的缓解率为26.7%,尽管刺激强度较高,但明显低于青少年/成人。高刺激设置的VNS对难治性癫痫的青少年和成人患者有效。即使是高刺激对癫痫发作频率高的极难治性小儿癫痫可能也无效。