Vagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant depression:a case report
WANG Kai
WANG Li
YI Xi-cai
CHEN Yi-huan
WANG Hua-ning
WANG Yan-gang
Abstract：Between 20%and 30%of depression patients show little to no improvement after receiving two or more adequate courses of antidepressant medication at sufficient doses.This form of depression is termed treatment-resistant depression(TRD),for which effective treatment options remain limited.In 2005,the U.S.Food and Drug Administration approved vagus nerve stimulation(VNS)for the clinical treatment of TRD.This article reports the case of a 55-year-old female with TRD who was admitted to the hospital due to low mood,sleep disturbances,and anxiety lasting for seven years.Previous treatments at other hospitals,including various medications and transcranial magnetic stimulation,had yielded no significant improvement.Following multidisciplinary consultation and informed consent from the patient,VNS was administered.During the one-year postoperative follow-up,her Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17(HAMD-17)score decreased from 28 to 4;her Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale(MADRS)score decreased from 36 to 8;her Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS)score decreased from 30 to 5;her Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)score decreased from 21 to 6;and her Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)score increased from 16 to 24.The patient reported satisfaction with the outcomes and voluntarily discontinued medication.At the two-year follow-up,she reported continued symptom improvement,with significant enhancements in sleep and memory.This case suggests that VNS is a feasible and effective treatment for TRD,though preoperative multidisciplinary discussion and strict patient selection are essential.
Keywords：Treatment-resistant depressionVagus nerve stimulationEfficacy
Publication Date：2025-07-25
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-28(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：3( 443-445 )