SynthesisNeurosurgery2016
Rates and Predictors of Seizure Freedom With Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Intractable Epilepsy.
Synthesis in Neurosurgery, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 136 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
136 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 292 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors predicting the response to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in pediatric patients with drug- resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025Pooled it
- Efficiency of surgery on posttraumatic epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2023Pooled it
- Atonic seizures in children: a meta-analysis comparing corpus callosotomy to vagus nerve stimulation.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2021Pooled it
- Multiple Subpial Transections for Medically Refractory Epilepsy: A Disaggregated Review of Patient-Level Data.Neurosurgery · 2018Pooled it
- Default mode network and visual network responsiveness to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation predict its variable efficacy in primary insomnia disorder.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Trial
- The role of Vagus nerve stimulation in epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia - A case series.Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · 2026Observational
- Structural morphometry distinguishes vagus nerve stimulation outcomes in individuals with epilepsy.Epilepsia open · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and safety of implantable vagus nerve stimulation in people with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.Epilepsia open · 2026Article
- Long-term neuropsychiatric outcomes after neuromodulation in epilepsy patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2026Review
- Lateralization of Bilateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy After Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery.Cureus · 2026Article
- Optimizing Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Management: Cenobamate's role in the Surgery/Neuromodulation Pathway.Drugs in R&D · 2026Article
- From a beautiful circuit to a viable therapy: Addressing the translational chasm in acupuncture-based neuromodulation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Epilepsy: Molecular Pathogenesis and Emerging Therapies.MedComm · 2026Review
- Trigeminal neuralgia-like pain in a vagus nerve stimulationEpilepsy & behavior reports · 2026Article
- Current best medical practices survey in vagus nerve stimulation programming.Epilepsy & behavior reports · 2026Article
- The impact of vagus nerve stimulation on the most disabling seizures: A retrospective study in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Article
- Ultra-refractory epilepsy: The newly described entity.Epilepsia open · 2026Article
- Article
- Epileptogenesis and Epilepsy Treatment: Advances in Mechanistic Understanding, Therapeutic Approaches, and Future Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
76 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNeuromodulation-based treatments have become increasingly important in epilepsy treatment. Most patients with epilepsy treated with neuromodulation do not achieve complete seizure freedom, and, therefore, previous studies of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy have focused instead on reduction of seizure frequency as a measure of treatment response.
objectiveTo elucidate rates and predictors of seizure freedom with VNS.
methodsWe examined 5554 patients from the VNS therapy Patient Outcome Registry, and also performed a systematic review of the literature including 2869 patients across 78 studies.
resultsRegistry data revealed a progressive increase over time in seizure freedom after VNS therapy. Overall, 49% of patients responded to VNS therapy 0 to 4 months after implantation (≥50% reduction seizure frequency), with 5.1% of patients becoming seizure-free, while 63% of patients were responders at 24 to 48 months, with 8.2% achieving seizure freedom. On multivariate analysis, seizure freedom was predicted by age of epilepsy onset >12 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.58), and predominantly generalized seizure type (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.82), while overall response to VNS was predicted by nonlesional epilepsy (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.06-1.81). Systematic literature review results were consistent with the registry analysis: At 0 to 4 months, 40.0% of patients had responded to VNS, with 2.6% becoming seizure-free, while at last follow-up, 60.1% of individuals were responders, with 8.0% achieving seizure freedom.
conclusionResponse and seizure freedom rates increase over time with VNS therapy, although complete seizure freedom is achieved in a small percentage of patients. ABBREVIATIONS: AED, antiepileptic drugVNS, vagus nerve stimulation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.