Treatment for Epilepsy seems to be effective

An epilepsy treatment used to help control seizures in adult patients has shown to be effective in treating children.

Nearly 2 million Americans are affected by epilepsy, a brain disorder that occurs when electrical signals in the brain are disrupted. For most patients, medications can help minimize symptoms. However, in approximately 25 percent to 30 percent of patients, medications don't work.

As an alternative to medications, an FDA-approved implanted device called a vagus nerve stimulator is sometimes used to help control or reduce epilepsy seizures in adults. Vagus nerve stimulation works by sending signals to the brain to decrease the electrical activity leading to seizures.

Now, researchers from Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio have demonstrated vagus nerve stimulation is an effective treatment for children. In a study of more than 75 patients between the ages 1 and 17, seizures discontinued in 59 percent of the patients implanted with vagus nerve stimulation.

Furthermore, hospital visits from epilepsy-related conditions decreased by 41 percent.
As part of the next phase of this study, researchers will further analyze the data to look for patterns in children with different types of epilepsy. They will examine whether the outcomes differ by age and whether vagus nerve stimulation impacts the duration of epilepsy depending on when implantation occurs.