Vagus nerve stimulation for refractory partial epileptic seizures: a short-term and long-term investigations in Japan—seven institutes study

Abstract In order to investigate the efficacy and the safety of vagus nerve stimulation for refractory partial epileptic seizures, a cooperative study was performed in seven institutes of Japan from 1993 to 2000. Thirty-four patients were subjected to this NCP implantation study. The short-term observations for 6 months and the long-term observation of more than 5 years revealed that this treatment was safe and effective for partial epileptic seizures, although there were some drop-out cases on the time courses.