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By Mayo Clinic staffBecause vagus nerve stimulation is a relatively new depression treatment, carefully consider the pros and cons before using it. It's not known precisely how stimulation of the vagus nerve may improve depression. The long-term effects of vagus nerve stimulation are still being studied, and not all side effects may be known yet.
Make sure you know what all of your other treatment choices are and that you and your doctor both feel that vagus nerve stimulation is the best option for you. Ask your doctor exactly what you should expect during surgery and after the pulse generator is in place.
Before surgery, your doctor will do a physical examination. You may need blood tests or other tests to make sure you don't have any health concerns that might be a problem. Your doctor will have you start taking antibiotics before surgery to prevent infection. You may need to stop taking certain medications ahead of time, and your doctor may ask you not to eat the night before the procedure. When you set up your surgery appointment, make sure you're clear on exactly what steps you need to take.
- Dougherty DD, et al. Vagus nerve stimulation. In: Stern TA, et al. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/205162974-3/0/1657/451.html?tocnode=57543416&fromURL=451.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04743-2..50048-2--cesec4_1191. Accessed June 10, 2010.
- George MS, et al. Nompharmacological somatic treatments. In: Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=332262. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- VNS Therapy system — P970003s050. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DeviceApprovalsandClearances/Recently-ApprovedDevices/ucm078532.htm. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- Grimm S, et al. Efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of depression. Expert Reviews of Neurotherapeutics. 2010;10:87.
- Implantation procedure. Cybertronics. http://dynamic.cyberonics.com/manuals/doc_download.asp?docid={D6761ECC-D653-4175-84CB-E8C4AF92645D}. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- Schachter SS, et al. Vagus nerve stimulation therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 10, 2010.
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