מתוך medicontext.co.il
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Vagus nerve stimulation appears to be an effective treatment for depression in some patients who do not respond to medical treatment, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Dr. Mark George of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and colleagues analyzed the long-term efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in a cohort of 59 patients with depression who participated in a multicenter, open label pilot study.
"This is one of the few studies ever [conducted] in a group of patients who are treatment-resistant," Dr. George told Reuters Health. The patients had failed an average of 12 medications over a course of about 10 years of treatment for depression, he said.
During the eight weeks following implantation of the vagus nerve stimulator, 18 of the patients had a response (50% reduction in depressive symptoms) and nine achieved remission, the investigators found. "At one year, 47% of patients are responders and 27% are remitters," Dr. George told Reuters Health.
During up to 2 years of follow up, "the acute effects have not vanished and remained steady," Dr. George said. Of those who responded initially, 95% have maintained response.
Side effects of the VNS device, other than from the insertion, are dependent upon the intensity of the stimulation. Dr. George noted that some patients experience initial hoarseness, but this usually subsides after 6 months.
Vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of depression is still experimental in the United States, Dr. George said. The data from a double-blind placebo-controlled study involving about 240 patients is currently being analyzed and will be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for review.
This study was funded by Cyberonics, Inc., the developer of the VNS device for the treatment of epilepsy.
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