Vagal Nerve Stimulation has Robust Effects on Neuropsychiatric Assessment in Resistant Epilepsy: A Clinical Series with Clinical Experiences

Özet

AIM: To evaluate the resistant epileptic patients who had vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) devices implanted over five years, and toevaluate the neuropsychological aspects of VNS.MATERIAL and METHODS: Patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy (PRE) were followed from 2012 to 2017. Totally sevenpatients were found eligible for VNS in this period. In the pre-surgical period, patients were neuro-psychiatrically assessed byan independent psychiatric committee for mental status, which included assessment of intelligence quotient (IQ), Wechsler adultintelligence scale-revised (WAIS-R) IQ, Stroop test and mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Hamilton depression scale (HDS)and the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI).RESULTS: The positive effects of VNS on patients’ well-being and neuropsychiatric status may be the most as important as thetreatment’s cost effectiveness. The patients’ quality of life (QoL) was calculated just before and 12th / 24th months after VNSimplantation. The pre-VNS scores for Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QoLiE-31-P) ranged from 14‒59, and average score was 37.14.Thepost-VNS scores ranged from 31‒72, and the average score was 52.86.CONCLUSION: VNS has intense effects on QoL of epileptic patients. The best approach for comparing and evaluating QoL in PREpatients may be the QoLiE-31-P inventory, which can be adapted and used in epilepsy centers to evaluate energy, mood, dailyactivity, cognition, medication effects, seizure worry and overall QoL.