ArticleFrontline gastroenterology2017
Proof of concept: short-term non-invasive cervical vagus nerve stimulation in patients with drug-refractory gastroparesis.
Article in Frontline gastroenterology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04353778 (Effects of Vagal Dysfunction on Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Pathways in HIV), which is not on this map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 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.
Effects of Vagal Dysfunction on Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Pathways in HIV
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation targets the brain-gut axis to treat functional dyspepsia: a scoping review of clinical evidence and mechanistic research.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring Electrical Neuromodulation as an Alternative Therapeutic Approach in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Pooled it
- Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation Improves Gastroparesis Symptoms and Ameliorates Gastric Pace-Making Activity in Patients With Diabetic Gastroparesis.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2025Trial
- The Impact of Alpha-Neurofeedback Training on Gastric Slow Wave Activity and Heart Rate Variability in Humans.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2025Trial
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation for treating gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with diabetes: a randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, multicentre trial.Diabetologia · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Open-label pilot study: Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation improves symptoms and gastric emptying in patients with idiopathic gastroparesis.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2020Trial
- Progress in Gastroparesis Management: From Pharmacotherapy to Interventional Treatments.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Review
- Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation Decreases the Need for Rescue Medication for Nausea Exacerbation in Patients with Chronic Nausea and Vomiting.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Without getting under your skin: non-invasive stimulation activates the vagus nerve.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Pan-Gut Dysmotility in Parkinson Disease.Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Article
- Enteric neuropathy and the vagus nerve: Therapeutic implications.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2025Review
- Current Concepts in Gastroparesis and Gastric Neuromuscular Disorders-Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): recent advances and future directions.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2024Review
- Electroceuticals and Magnetoceuticals in Gastroenterology.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- A flexible, thin-film microchannel electrode array device for selective subdiaphragmatic vagus nerve recording.Microsystems & nanoengineering · 2024Article
- Noninvasive electrical neuromodulation for gastrointestinal motility disorders.Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2023Review
- Non-invasive neuromodulation: an emerging intervention for visceral pain in gastrointestinal disorders.Bioelectronic medicine · 2023Review
- The Gut-brain Connection and Episodic Migraine: an Update.Current pain and headache reports · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGastric electric stimulation (GES) is a treatment approach to refractory gastroparesis, possibly acting centrally via afferent vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Non-invasive VNS (nVNS) is a potential alternative to GES that could eliminate the safety risks of or identify likely responders to implantable neurostimulators.
objectiveThis open-label proof-of-concept study assessed the effects of nVNS in patients with severe drug-refractory gastroparesis.
methodsPatients used the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) to grade symptoms in diaries daily for 2 weeks before treatment (baseline) and during ≥3 weeks of nVNS therapy. Adverse events (AEs) were also diarised. Treatment was self-administered using an nVNS device (gammaCore, electroCore) and consisted of 120 s stimulations to the vagus nerve in the neck (two stimulations to each side three times daily during weeks 1 and 2; three stimulations to each side three times daily during week 3 and beyond).
resultsThirty-five patients enrolled; 23 were compliant with study procedures and were included in the analysis; 7 continued treatment beyond 3 weeks. Response rates were 35% (8/23) at 3 weeks and 43% (10/23) for the duration of therapy (3-6 weeks). For the entire cohort and the 10 responders, improvements from baseline were noted for mean total GCSI and GCSI subscale scores (nausea/vomiting, postprandial fullness/early satiety, bloating). No serious AEs were reported.
conclusionsThese preliminary results provide a signal that nVNS may be useful for treating refractory gastroparesis. Larger controlled studies are warranted.
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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.