Seizure Control and Quality of Life Benefits for Paediatric and Special Patient Populations

More than one third of patients currently treated with VNS Therapy, are under the age of 18 years.¹

Several uncontrolled VNS Therapy studies in paediatric patients show that seizure control, quality-of-life benefits, tolerability and safety with VNS Therapy in children is similar to that reported in adults over time. A randomised controlled prospective study of VNS Therapy is ongoing in paediatric patients in Europe.

All patients under the age of 18 included in the clinical studies of VNS Therapy were analysed separately by Murphy et al. and were followed-up in an open-label long-term study. This analysis compared the median decrease in seizure frequency over a 18-month period. The median decrease in seizure frequency was 44% at 18 months.²

A recent publication in Neurology, reviewing all the paediatric clinical studies, existing literature and the VNS Therapy patient registry, evaluated seizure control with VNS Therapy over time in patients with different ages. Results suggested that VNS Therapy may be particularly effective among paediatric patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy.³
 

The same publication also concluded that VNS Therapy may offer quality-of-life benefits to paediatric patients, as evidenced by data from clinical trial patients as well as patients in the VNS Therapy patient registry. VNS Therapy shows improvements in mood, alertness, verbal skills, memory and school/professional achievements, which are even more important quality-of-life benefits for children.³ Improvements appear to be sustained over time.³

¹Data on file, Cyberonics Inc., Houston, Texas.
²Murphy and the Paediatric VNS Study Group. J Paediatric. 1999; 134:563-566.
³Wheless JW et al. Neurology. 2002; 59 (suppl.4) S21-S25.
 

For more information on the VNS Therapy for pharmacoresistant epilepsy please contact us or visit the Cyberonics website.