Vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of bilateral independent temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: We studied the effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on seizure reduction in patients with intractable epilepsy with bilateral independent temporal lobe foci. Methods: Ten patients who met the criterion of the presence of two distinctive clinical and ictal EEG seizure patterns were identified and followed up for 1 year. Results: Six patients had > 50% reduction in their seizure frequency that persisted up to = I year of follow-up, whereas four patients reported small or no reduction in their partial seizures. Conclusions: VNS is often effective and well tolerated in this select group of intractable epilepsy patients.