Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29255920›Full record

ReviewChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2018

Early vagal nerve stimulator implantation in children: personal experience and review of the literature.

Jehuda Soleman, Corine Knorr, Alexandre N Datta, Susi Strozzi, Gian Paolo Ramelli, Luigi Mariani, Raphael Guzman

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Efficacy of vagus nerve stimulator during transition to adulthood in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy.Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape · 2026
    Article
  2. Evaluation of the outcomes of vagal nerve stimulation in children with drug-refractory epilepsy in South Africa.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Subgroup analysis of seizure and cognitive outcome after vagal nerve stimulator implantation in children.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2021
    Article
  6. Health Technology Assessment Report on Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Jehuda SolemanDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland. jehuda.soleman@gmail.com.
Corine KnorrDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland.
Alexandre N DattaDepartment of Pediatric Neurology, Children's University Hospital of Basel (UKBB), Basel, Switzerland.
Susi StrozziDepartment of Pediatric Neurology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Gian Paolo RamelliDepartment of Pediatric Neurology, Children's Hospital of Bellinzona, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Luigi MarianiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland.
Raphael GuzmanDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland.
University Children’s Hospital Basel · CHUniversity Hospital of Basel · CHOspedale Regionale di Bellinzona e Valli · CHUniversity Hospital of Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimData concerning the benefit of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) in children under the age of 12 years is sparse. It was shown that reduction of seizure frequency and duration at an early age could lead to better psychomotor development. We therefore compare the outcome between early (≤ 5 years of age) and late (> 5 years of age) implantation of VNS in children.

methodsThis study is a prospective review of patients analyzing primarily the reduction of seizure frequency and secondarily epilepsy outcome assessed by the McHugh and Engel classification, reduction of antiepileptic drugs (AED), psychomotor development measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), and quality of life using the caregiver impression (CGI) scale. Mean follow-up time was 36 and 31 months in the early and late group, respectively.

resultsOut of 12 consecutive VNS implantations for therapy refractory epilepsy, 5 were early implantations and 7 late implantations. Reduction of seizure frequency, McHugh and Engel classification, quality of life, psychomotor development and reduction of AED were comparable in both groups. One patient in the late group suffered from a postoperative infection resulting in explanation of the VNS device and re-implantation on the opposite side, while mortality rate was 0%.

conclusionsVNS seems to be a safe and feasible therapy in children even under the age of 5 years. Responder rate, quality of life, and psychomotor development do not seem to be influenced by the child's age at implantation; however, larger studies analyzing the outcome of early VNS implantation are warranted.

Indexed as

AdolescentChildChild, PreschoolDatabases, BibliographicElectrodes, ImplantedEpilepsyHumansProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeVagus Nerve StimulationDrug-resistant epilepsyEpilepsyPsychomotor developmentQuality of lifeVagal nerve stimulatorVineland Adaptive Behavior Scale

Identifiers

PMID29255920
OpenAlexW2775846476

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.