SHORT REPORTS |
Mental Health Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK
Correspondence: Dr Ciaran Corcoran, Mental Health Unit, Leazes Wing, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK. Email: ciaran.corcoran{at}ncl.ac.uk
Declaration of interest Cyberonics Incorporated, makers of the NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis system, sponsored this study.
We evaluated the efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation therapyinthe treatment of 11 patients with chronic treatment-resistant depression. Mood was evaluated at frequent intervals over the year following implantation. All measures of depression, including the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression reduced significantly. The response and remission rates were 55% and 27% respectively at 1 year. Side-effects were common, and some were severe.
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