In this article you can find the answers for What is the Vagus Nerve Stimulation? How is Vagus Nerve Stimulation surgery performed? Who’s Candidate to Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery? Which factors are important to decide to do Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery? What are the risks for Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery?
What is Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery?
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) are used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and major depression disorder. Vagus Nerve Stimulation surgery (sometimes referred to as a "epilepsy battery") is a technological surgical procedure involving, the placement of an electrode over the vagus nerve which located in the left neck area, and connecting this electrode to a implantable pulse generator.
This implantable pulse generator sends electrical impulses to the vagus nerve through implanted electrodes, this nerve transfers these impulses to the special brain area to control abnormal signals which responsible for seizures.
How is Vagus Nerve Stimulation surgery performed?
Placing the Vagus Nerve Stimulation electrode and the battery is not a difficult procedure. The surgery is mostly done under general anesthesia.
Firstly, the electrode must be implanted over the left Vagus nerve which located in the cervical (neck) area. After the implantation the electrode it must be tunneled under the skin and connected to the implantable pulse generator which implanted under clavicle.
The best advantages such these operations are reversibility and adjustability (all Neuromodulation approaches like Intrathecal Baclofen Pump, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Deep Brain Stimulation, Sacral Nerve Stimulation, and Vagal Stimulation and are reversible interventions, therefore they never result with permanent damage).
Who’s Candidate to Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery?
Vagus nerve stimulation is intended for patients who have failed or cannot tolerate more conservative treatments for epilepsy or major depression.
Which important factors are important to decide to do Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery?
The most important factors about the decision is if the patient failed or cannot tolerate more conservative treatments like medications.
What are the risks for Vagus Nerve Stimulation Surgery?
You need to remember there isn’t any surgery without risk.
General complications of any surgeries are bleeding, infection, blood clots, and reactions to anesthesia. Since Vagus Nerve Stimulation surgical area around the neck there are a lot of critical structures. The patients may complain about the difficulty swallowing, vocal cord paralysis, which is usually temporary, but can be permanent. In that point the evaluation of the patient before the surgery by an experienced team is crucial. Our team has experience more than 300 Neuromodulation surgeries and include Neurosurgeon, Neurologist, Programmer Physician, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation physician and technicians and Neuropsychiatrist.
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info@neuromodulationinturkey.com