Aurora BioScience Neurology

VNS Therapy for Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy

 

A few facts about Epilepsy

 

Epileptic seizures and their treatment vary from person to person, but there are some general patterns. Most epilepsy patients can be treated successfully using a drug, or combination of drugs. Even so, about a third of people with epilepsy cannot be effectively treated this way. Because drugs are the first treatment tried by doctors, doctors refer to these people as having "difficult-to-control" epilepsy.

Worldwide, one in three people with epilepsy suffers from difficult-to-control epilepsy.

Today, over 25,000 people worldwide use VNS Therapy to help them manage their difficult-to-control epilepsy. Some 7,000 of these are children and teenagers.

 

 

What is epilepsy

 

Epilepsy is the name given to recurrent "seizures" that are known to have started in the brain. There are billions of nerve cells in your brain and they communicate through electrical signals. These signals can travel from the brain to other parts of your body to control things like muscle movement and speech. When too many of these signals go off at the same time, a big wave of electricity is created in the brain. That is what causes a seizure.

During a seizure some people may black out, while others experience a number of unusual sensations or movements. Seizures generally only last a few seconds or a few minutes, after which the brain cells return to normal.

 

 

Different types of Seizures

 

Seizures can be divided into two main categories: generalised and partial.

Generalised seizures involve the whole brain. There are two main types of generalised seizures: tonic-clonic and absence. Tonic-clonic seizures can also be called "grand mal". There are other less common types of generalised seizures. These include atonic (drop attacks) and myoclonic seizures.

Partial seizures involve just part of the brain and can be either simple, when your consciousness is not affected, or complex, when your consciousness is affected to some extent.