Many patients with epilepsy suffer from persistent seizures despite maximal anti-epileptic drug therapy. Chronic, intermittent vagus nerve stimulation has been proven to be an effective option for many patients suffering from refractory seizures who are not candidates for surgical resection. Although only a small minority of patients will be entirely seizure-free, vagus nerve stimulation, as an adjunct to medical therapy, may result in significant improvements in quality of life. Vagus nerve stimulation is generally well-tolerated, as device implantation is associated with a low rate of perioperative complications, and the majority of side effects are stimulation-dependent and thus reversible.

中文翻译：

---

迷走神经刺激治疗难治性癫痫。


尽管进行了最大程度的抗癫痫药物治疗，许多癫痫患者仍会持续癫痫发作。慢性、间歇性迷走神经刺激已被证明对于许多不适合手术切除的难治性癫痫患者来说是一种有效的选择。尽管只有一小部分患者完全不会癫痫发作，但迷走神经刺激作为药物治疗的辅助手段，可能会显着改善生活质量。迷走神经刺激通常具有良好的耐受性，因为装置植入的围手术期并发症发生率较低，并且大多数副作用是刺激依赖性的，因此是可逆的。