Vagal-nerve stimulator implanted for first time into ten-month old epilepsy patient

• Published date: 22 April 2024
• Author: JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Only patients weighing 20 kilos or more typically undergo this operation, making it a significant achievement in pediatric neurosurgery; at lower weights, the body area available for the operation is severely limited. The device is designed to help those with drug-resistant epilepsy when traditional treatments fail to control seizures

Dr. Sergey Abeshaus, head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital, said that the best solution was the implantation of an advanced SenTiva VNS pacemaker. He stressed the life-changing benefits of this treatment, which involves electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve to help reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of seizures by suppressing abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

New lease of life for 10-month-old

The pacemaker consists of a battery that is implanted under the left clavicle (collarbone) or in the armpit, as well as an electrode that is implanted on the left vagus nerve. It sends a nerve impulse and stimulates the nerve, helping to suppress the abnormal electrical activity and thus reducing the frequency of seizures, including their length and intensity.

The infant, a resident of a...