1
|
Sun Y, Chen J, Fang T, Wan L, Shi X, Wang J, Li Z, Wang J, Cui Z, Xu X, Ling Z, Zou L, Yang G. Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for the Treatment of Seizures in Refractory Postencephalitic Epilepsy: A Retrospective Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:685685. [PMID: 34489622 PMCID: PMC8418307 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.685685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for patients with refractory epilepsy, but there are few reports on the use of VNS for postencephalitic epilepsy (PEE). This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of VNS for refractory PEE. Methods We retrospectively studied 20 patients with refractory PEE who underwent VNS between August 2017 and October 2019 in Chinese PLA General Hospital and Beijing Children’s Hospital. VNS efficacy was evaluated based on seizure reduction, effective rate (percentage of cases with seizure reduction ≥ 50%), McHugh classification, modified Early Childhood Epilepsy Severity Scale (E-Chess) score, and Grand Total EEG (GTE) score. The follow-up time points were 3, 6, and 12 months after VNS. Pre- and postoperative data were compared and analyzed. Results The median [interquartile range (IQR)] seizure reduction rates at 3, 6, and 12 months after VNS were 23.72% (0, 55%), 46.61% (0, 79.04%), and 67.99% (0, 93.78%), respectively. The effective rates were 30% at 3 months, 45% at 6 months, and 70% at 12 months. E-chess scores before the operation and at 3, 6, and 12 months after the operation were 10 (10, 10.75), 9 (9, 10), 9 (9, 9.75), and 9 (8.25, 9) (P < 0.05), respectively. GTE scores before surgery and at 12 months after the operation were 11 (9, 13) and 9 (7, 11) (P < 0.05), respectively. The mean intensity of VNS current was 1.76 ± 0.39 (range: 1.0–2.5) mA. No intraoperative complications or severe post-operative adverse effects were reported. Conclusions Our study shows that VNS can reduce the frequency and severity of seizure in patients with refractory PEE. VNS has a good application prospect in patients with refractory PEE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulin Sun
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tie Fang
- Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Wan
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuyu Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhichao Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiqiang Cui
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhipei Ling
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Zou
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wan L, Li Z, Sun Y, Yang G, Zhang Y, Shi X, Wang J, Zou L. Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of pediatric patients with postencephalitic epilepsy characterized by epileptic spasms. Seizure 2020; 84:116-121. [PMID: 33341688 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Viral encephalitis (VE) or bacterial meningoencephalitis (BME) in early childhood may cause brain injury and neurological sequelae, including epilepsy. Postencephalitic epilepsy (PEE) characterized by epileptic spasms (ES) is a rare but serious condition; there is an urgent need to develop new methods to evaluate the characteristics of these children and select appropriate treatments. METHODS We conducted an observational study of 20 patients (11 males, 9 females) who experienced ES after VE or BME at the Chinese PLA General Hospital. Patients were followed up for over 12 months, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS The median ages at the onset of encephalitis and ES were 5.5 and 11.5 months, respectively. The median age at follow-up was 35.5 months. Sixteen (80 %) patients developed drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), including all 12 patients with VE and 4 of 8 patients with BME. Epileptiform discharges were detected on electroencephalography, including 15 patients with hypsarrhythmia and 5 without. Fifteen of the patients were treated with a 14-day intravenous infusion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at a dose 2.5 U/kg (≤25 U); 12 showed a short-term response but 10 experienced recurrence. Three patients received vigabatrin, and none of these patients responded to treatment. Six patients started a ketogenic diet (KD); five failed to respond and the outcome was not known in one. Four patients were treated by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and all showed a partial response. CONCLUSION Children with PEE characterized by ES are more likely to develop DRE. The prognosis was worse for patients with VE compared to those with BME. Clarifying the efficacies of treatments involving ACTH (low-dose), KD, vigabatrin, and VNS will require further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wan
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China; Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhichao Li
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China; Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Yulin Sun
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China; Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Guang Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Ping An Healthcare Technology, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiuyu Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Liping Zou
- Department of Pediatrics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xu R, Tan C, He Y, Wu Q, Wang H, Yin J. Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Encephalitis: A Chinese Pilot Study. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1994. [PMID: 32973805 PMCID: PMC7468513 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Encephalitis, the inflammation of the brain, may be caused by an infection or an autoimmune reaction. However, few researches were focused on the gut microbiome characteristics in encephalitis patients. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted in an academic hospital in Guangzhou from February 2017 to February 2018. Patients with encephalitis were recruited. Fecal and serum samples were collected at admission. Healthy volunteers were enrolled from a community. Disease severity scores were recorded by specialized physicians, including Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II). 16S rRNA sequence was performed to analyze the gut microbiome, then the α-diversities and β-diversities were estimated. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were extracted from fecal samples and determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Serum D-lactate (D-LA), intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (iFABP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The associations among microbial indexes and clinical parameters were evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis. Results In total, twenty-eight patients were recruited for analysis (median age 46 years; 82.1% male; median GCS 6.5; median SOFA 6.5; median APACHE-II 14.5). Twenty-eight age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were selected as controls. The β-diversities between patients and healthy subjects were significantly different. The α-diversities did not show significant differences between these two groups. In the patient group, the abundances of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Bacilli were significantly enriched. Accordingly, fecal SCFA levels were decreased in the patient group, whereas serum D-LA, iFABP, LPS, and LBP levels were increased compared with those in healthy subjects. Correlation analyses showed that disease severity had positive correlations with Proteobacteria and Akkermansia but negative correlations with Firmicutes, Clostridia, and Ruminococcaceae abundances. The cerebrospinal fluid albumin-to-serum albumin ratio (CSAR) was positively related to the α-diversity but negatively correlated with the fecal butyrate concentration. Conclusion Gut microbiota disruption was observed in encephalitis patients, which manifested as pathogen dominance and health-promoting commensal depletion. Disease severity and brain damage may have associations with the gut microbiota or its metabolites. The causal relationship should be further explored in future studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruoting Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Chuhong Tan
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan He
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiheng Wu
- Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huidi Wang
- Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jia Yin
- Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wesselingh R, Butzkueven H, Buzzard K, Tarlinton D, O'Brien TJ, Monif M. Seizures in autoimmune encephalitis: Kindling the fire. Epilepsia 2020; 61:1033-1044. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.16515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robb Wesselingh
- Department of Neurosciences Central Clinical School Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Helmut Butzkueven
- Department of Neurosciences Central Clinical School Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Katherine Buzzard
- Department of Neurology Melbourne Health Parkville Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Eastern Health Box Hill Victoria Australia
| | - David Tarlinton
- Department of Immunology Central Clinical School Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Terence J. O'Brien
- Department of Neurosciences Central Clinical School Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Mastura Monif
- Department of Neurosciences Central Clinical School Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology Melbourne Health Parkville Victoria Australia
| |
Collapse
|