ABSTRACT
Worldwide, approximately 1-3% of the general population suffers from epilepsy. For the most part, pharmacotherapy represents the mainstay of patient treatment. Vagus nerve stimulation represents a potential option for those patients who are not viable candidates for surgery or whose seizures cannot be controlled by existing anticonvulsant drugs. Advances in brain imaging and seizure mapping techniques have made surgery an option for patients in whom a resectable seizure focus can be identified. Unfortunately, despite the availability of these new therapeutic options, a significant fraction of the patients with epilepsy continue to live with uncontrolled seizures, often at the expense of significant drug-induced adverse effects. Clearly, there is a need for more efficacious therapies that will not infringe on a patient’s quality of life.
