Lin Lu, Li Yi
Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge Street, Suite 9A, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2025 Jul 21;25(1):50. doi: 10.1007/s11910-025-01441-7.
Neuromodulation provides additional treatment options for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who are not candidates or unwilling to undergo resective or ablative surgery. However, our current knowledge on the safety and efficacy of different neuromodulating devices during pregnancy is limited. This article reviews recent research on pregnancy outcomes in epilepsy patients treated with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), or responsive neurostimulation (RNS).
Currently available information about pregnancy outcomes in epilepsy patients with neuromodulating devices all comes from cases series or case reports. Randomized control trials or prospective observational studies are lacking in this patient population. The overall sample size is too small to draw conclusions on the safety of these neuromodulating devices in pregnancy and maternal outcomes including obstetric complications. There is no clear sign of device-related teratogenicity. Further research should be directed at establishing a pregnancy registry and conducting multi-center prospective studies to track pregnancy outcomes in epilepsy patients with various neuromodulating devices.
神经调节为耐药性癫痫患者提供了额外的治疗选择，这些患者不适合或不愿意接受切除性或消融性手术。然而，我们目前对不同神经调节装置在妊娠期间的安全性和有效性的了解有限。本文综述了近期关于接受迷走神经刺激（VNS）、深部脑刺激（DBS）或反应性神经刺激（RNS）治疗的癫痫患者妊娠结局的研究。
目前关于使用神经调节装置的癫痫患者妊娠结局的可用信息均来自病例系列或病例报告。该患者群体缺乏随机对照试验或前瞻性观察性研究。总体样本量太小，无法就这些神经调节装置在妊娠中的安全性以及包括产科并发症在内的母体结局得出结论。没有明显的与装置相关的致畸迹象。未来的研究应致力于建立妊娠登记处并开展多中心前瞻性研究，以追踪使用各种神经调节装置的癫痫患者的妊娠结局。
