Observational studyEpilepsia open2025
Driving after vagus nerve stimulation therapy: Is it possible?
Observational study in Epilepsia open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trigeminal neuralgia-like pain in a vagus nerve stimulationEpilepsy & behavior reports · 2026Article
- Driving after vagus nerve stimulation therapy: Is it possible?Epilepsia open · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Driving is consistently reported as an important goal for people with epilepsy. We sought to determine the proportion of people with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who became medically fit to drive after treatment with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). We conducted a retrospective observational study of consecutive patients treated with VNS attending our neuromodulation clinic. We classified patients as either "VNS responders without additional intervention" or "VNS responders with additional intervention" and determined if patients were eligible to drive Group 1 vehicles (cars, motorcycles, and light work vehicles) under Irish Medical Fitness to Drive regulations. Among 87 patients treated with VNS for ≥12 months, 15 became medically eligible to drive: five were current drivers, three were learner drivers, and seven were eligible to drive based on their seizure control but were not driving for various reasons. Eleven were seizure-free, three had nondisabling focal seizures with preserved consciousness, and one had exclusive sleep-related seizures. Eleven were "VNS responders without additional intervention," while four achieved eligibility after adding ASM or following subsequent epilepsy surgery, while VNS was still active. No patients reported driving-related accidents. ASM burden remained unchanged post-VNS. VNS was well tolerated, and no patients discontinued treatment. In this cohort, 17.2% of patients treated with VNS became eligible to drive, despite it being considered a palliative treatment. These findings highlight the potential role of neuromodulation in improving seizure control and promoting patient autonomy and independence. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study investigated whether people with refractory epilepsy in Ireland could become eligible to drive after VNS treatment. In our single-center cohort, 17.2% of patients treated with VNS for at least 12 months were eligible to drive at last follow-up. Most achieved this without increasing their medication after VNS implantation. These findings suggest that VNS, often considered a palliative treatment, can help some patients regain independence through improved seizure control.
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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.