Oman- SQUH introduces VNS procedure to treat patients suffering from seizures

5/24/2016 6:51:39 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

In a first for Oman, the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) has introduced a procedure for patients suffering from severe cases of seizures.

Specialists at the hospital have introduced vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) - a procedure used to control severe seizures in people with epilepsy when other treatments don't work. Earlier, patients had to go abroad to undergo this procedure.

An epileptic seizure happens due to excessive neuronal activity in the brain. The outward

effect can vary from uncontrolled jerking movement leading to a momentary loss of awareness.

Approximately 70 per cent of patients respond to medications.

'Now, we have this facility in our country. Patients in need of VNS need not travel abroad and can be treated at SQUH,' said Dr Abdullah al Asmi, senior consultant neurologist, at SQUH's Department of Medicine.

The surgeries usually last for an hour. After the procedure was introduced, two children and one adult underwent the surgery. During the surgeries, doctors placed a VNS device referred to as a 'pacemaker for the brain' under the skin on the chest wall with a wire running from it to the vagus nerve in the neck.

The vagus nerve is part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions of the body that are not under voluntary control, such as the heart rate.

The vagus nerve passes from the lower part of the brain through the neck as it travels

between the chest and abdomen. 'Patients have to do a follow-up in order to programme the device based on their condition. The effect of the device on seizure control is variable. Sixty per cent of patients globally who have undergone VNS have reported seizure control and some have also reported improvement in their behaviour.

'The effect can be seen within few months or as long as one year.'

The surgeries at SQUH were conducted by Dr Yahya Nasser al Badai, senior consultant, ENT, SQUH along with Dr Marwan Najjar, associate professor of clinical surgery, American University of Beirut with other members of the team.

Currently, these patients are following up at the VNS clinic under Dr Asmi, Dr Amna al

Futaisi, senior consultant - paediatric neurologist and Dr Talal al Mashaikhi, consultant epileptologist as well as neurology clinical nurse specialists at SQUH.

'If a patient does not undergo the procedure, he or she can have seizures often and have difficulty in leading a normal life.'

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