INTRODUCTION   Stimulation of the occipital nerves is becoming more widely accepted in the treatment of occipital neuritis and migraine disorders. OBJECTIVE   Presently, equipment available for spinal cord stimulation is adapted for insertion into the subcutaneous space over the occipital nerves. Many technical factors need to be reassessed to optimize the therapy. METHODS   We performed a ...

Evidence from studies of experimental animals indicates that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve alters EEGs under certain stimulus parameters. We report EEG effects of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in 9 patients with medically intractable seizures as part of a clinical trial of chronic vagal stimulation for control of epilepsy. The mechanism of action of the vagal antiepilept...

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the feasibility and safety of using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the blood oxygen level dependent changes (BOLD) in patients undergoing vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) for the treatment of epilepsy. METHODS Four patients with an implanted vagus nerve stimulator had fMRI images acquired during several cycles of intermittent VNS. Blood oxygen ...

by anaesthetists experienced in both the techniques. There seems to be an inherent bias towards US technique (an experienced anaesthetist should have taken over when more than three to four passes were required in the NS group, .10 needle passes is too high). Is it possible that the NS technique was performed by less-experienced anaesthetists or are people losing skills in doing blocks by nerve...