The operation took place at the Simferopol Emergency Clinical Hospital No. 6, the press service of the Ministry of Health told RG. Ivan Morozov, a professor at the Volga Research Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, who came to Simferopol specifically for this purpose, taught the new technique to the Crimean neurosurgeons.
The essence of the operation is that the vagus nerve is wrapped around an electrode and a miniature neurostimulator, weighing about 12 grams, is implanted under the skin. With its help, there is an effect on the vagus nerve, which is responsible for irritation of the antiepileptic zone in the brain, which stops the development of a convulsive attack.
An electronic programming device implanted under the skin is connected to a tablet, through which doctors adjust the parameters: pulse rate and other characteristics of the impact.
In Simferopol, the operation was successfully performed on a 30-year-old girl who has up to 25 seizures per month, and drug treatment does not have a therapeutic effect, said Konstantin Semkin, head of the department of neurosurgery at the Simferopol hospital. Patients with this form of epilepsy are often young people who, due to the disease, are unable to lead a full life and even take care of themselves.
