When your epilepsy can’t be controlled with medications, your neurologist may recommend implanting a neurostimulation device to help eliminate or reduce your likelihood of having a seizure. Each pacemaker-like device aims to prevent seizures by disrupting the electrical activity in the brain that causes seizures in the first place.
An epilepsy pacer is a small battery-powered device that emits electrical charges that disrupt seizure activity. The thumb-sized device is implanted in the skull via a craniotomy, where it can sense abnormal brain wave activity and respond by generating electrical charges before a seizure starts. Wires attached to the device deliver pulses of electricity directly to the area of the brain where seizures begin. Data from the device can be downloaded using a special wand and remote monitor. This allows your doctor to see if adjustments need to be made to the device’s programming.
An epilepsy pacer is not a cure for epilepsy and you will still need to take anti-seizure medications. However, many patients experience fewer and less intense seizures with the device. Doctors in the Sutter Health network have the most experience in the world implanting these devices thanks to the epilepsy specialists at California Pacific Medical Center who led the clinical trials.
Vagus nerve stimulation involves installing a neurostimulation device that delivers electrical pulses to the brain via the vagus nerve in your neck. The battery-powered device, about the size of a silver dollar, is implanted in the left side of your chest or armpit and connected to the vagus nerve in your neck via a wire of electrodes that run underneath your skin. Because the vagus nerve has few pain fibers, it’s an ideal pathway to deliver signals to your brain without the need for direct brain stimulation.
After implantation, your doctor programs the device to generate pulses of electricity at intervals specific to your needs. The pulses can be adjusted by your doctor and you can use a handheld magnet to turn the device on and off.
Vagus nerve stimulation does not cure epilepsy, but the stimulator typically reduces seizures by 20 to 40 percent with minimal side effects, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. While you will still need to take anti-seizure medications, many patients experience fewer and less intense seizures with the device.
In addition to treating people with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and other movement disorders, deep brain stimulation has proven to be an effective treatment for people with certain types of epilepsy-related seizures.
Deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure typically performed in two phases. During the first phase, your doctor places electrodes in your brain via a craniotomy. During the second phase, your doctor implants a pulse-generating device that’s about the size of a stopwatch in your chest. A connecting wire of electrodes runs underneath your skin from the pulse-generating device to the electrodes in your brain. Your doctor programs the device to generate pulses of electricity at intervals specific to your needs, and you can use a handheld magnet to turn the device on and off.
Talk to your neurologist about which treatment option is best for you. Across the Sutter Health network, our epilepsy centers have consistently been awarded the highest rating possible by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers for providing excellent care.