Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38841319›Full record

ArticleEpilepsy & behavior reports2024

The dual effect of vagus nerve stimulation in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: Is there more than seizure control?

Mohamed Ashraf Mahmoud, Omnia El Rashidi, George Halim, Mohamed Amgad Elkholy, Osama Aglan, Abdel Rahman El Sabbagh, Ahmed Kamel Basha, Hussein Hamdi, Ahmed M El Sayed, Dina Amin Saleh and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epilepsy & behavior reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. 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 · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. 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

12 authors.

Mohamed Ashraf MahmoudNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Omnia El RashidiDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
George HalimNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed Amgad ElkholyNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Osama AglanNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdel Rahman El SabbaghNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed Kamel BashaNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hussein HamdiNeurosurgery Department, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Ahmed M El SayedNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Dina Amin SalehDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
R H ShatlaDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Walid Abdel GhanyNeurosurgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This is a retrospective and comparative pilot study to investigate the role of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in improving cognitive functions in the pediatric age group with drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). It was conducted from January 2018 to February 2023. Children between the ages of 4 and 18 years were divided into two groups, the "VNS group" and the "best medical treatment (BMT) group". Follow up period was 12 months. Demographic, clinical, etiological and investigational data were recorded. Cognitive assessment using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for children (MMSE) was recorded at baseline and 12 months later for each group. 76.4 % of patients were classified as epilepsy secondary to cerebral palsy. 75 % of patients showed ≥ 50 % seizure frequency reduction among the VNS group as compared to 12.5 % in the BMT group. None of both groups achieved seizure freedom. At 12 months, both BMT and VNS groups showed statistically significantly improved overall cognitive score from baseline records (p = 0.027) and (p = 0.012), respectively, with a significantly higher improvement in VNS group. Also, statistical sub-analysis of cognitive subscales in cerebral palsy patients in both groups was conducted and revealed a significant improvement (p = 0.02) in the VNS group. We concluded that there is a potential role of VNS in improving cognitive functions which was shown by using a cost-effective screening tool. A significant effect was observed specially in cerebral palsy patients. This is very beneficial in limited-resources countries since VNS has good safety profile, high seizure control, and added value to cognitive functions.

Indexed as

Cerebral PalsyCognitiveDrug-resistant epilepsyNeuromodulationSeizureVagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID38841319
PMCPMC11150965

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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.