Abstracts

Rationale: Corpus callosum section is an effective procedure for atonic seizures with bilateral synchrony associated with head drops. Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has been used for refractory seizures; the usefulness of both procedures in head drops has been of increased interest. Methods: Patientes with complete corpus callosotomy and VNS were evaluated. Results: 4 patients with refractory seizures were included; the mean age at surgery was 5 years. All patients had head drops but not exclusively, the mean follow-up was at least 3 years. In all the patients there was a reduction in the number of seizures higher than 80 %. None of the cases were seizure free after the procedures, although significant seizure reduction was accomplished after the first operation. The interval of seizure reduction was greater with the combination of both interventions than with either procedure alone. Conclusions: Complete corpus callosotomy is more affective associated vagal nerve stimulation, the seizure reduction is greater and the functionality of patients is improved even in the cases with associated heterogeneous seizure presentations.