Observation of cognitive function and analysis of factors related to it in patients with intractable epilepsy after treatment by vagus nerve stimulation
ZHENG Xi
DUN Xiao-yi
Abstract：Objective To study the change in cognitive function in the patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) treated by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS),and analyze the factors related to the change in the cognitive function.Methods MRI,video electroencephalograph or single photon emission computed tomography were performed in 40 patients with IE admitted to the hospital from January,2014 to April,2015.All the patients were treated by VNS.The changes in the cognitive function after VNS were observed and its related factors were analyzed in all the patients.Results The cognitive function scores,which were (22.3±4.6) points,(23.5±3.1) points,(25.2±2.9) points respectively 3,6,12 months after the VNS,were significantly higher respectively than that [(18.9±3.5) points] before VNS in these patients (P＜0.05).The cognitive function was significantly related to the patients' age,types of anti-epileptic drug,site of epileptogenic focus,epileptics with generalized tonic clonic seizure and frequency of epileptic seizure in the patients with IE after VNS (P＜0.05).Conclusion VNS can effectively improve patients' cognitive function in the patients with IE.But patients' cognition,should be evaluated before treatment so as to reduce or eliminate the effects of the related factors.Selecting drug with less effect on the cognitive function,controlling the generalized tonic clonic seizure and frequency of epileptic seizure and so on are helpful to improvement of the cognitive function in the patients with IE after VNS.
Keywords：Intractable epilepsyVagus nerve stimulationCognitive functionRelated factors
Publication Date：2017-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：3( 142-144 )