Study comparing best medical practice with or without vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy in pharmacoresistant partial epilepsy patients

ISRCTN ISRCTN51185809
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN51185809
ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00522418
Secondary identifying numbers E-100
Submission date
09/02/2005
Registration date
18/02/2005
Last edited
22/03/2016
Recruitment status
Stopped
Overall study status
Stopped
Condition category
Nervous System Diseases
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Prof Philippe Ryvlin
Scientific

Hôpital Neurologique
Unité d’epileptologie
59 bd Pinel
Lyon
69003
France

Study information

Study designRandomised multicentre controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Scientific titleAn open Prospective randomised Long-term Effectiveness study, comparing adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy with best medical practice in patients with pharmaco-resistant partial epilepsy aged 16 and above
Study acronymPuLsE
Study objectivesThis is an open prospective randomised and comparative long-term effectiveness study, comparing adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy with best medical practice in patients with pharmaco-resistant partial epilepsy. The minimum age of enrolment is 16 years.
Ethics approval(s)Ethics Committee of "Hôpital Neurologique" in Lyon (Comité Consultatif de Protection des Personnes dans la Recherche Biomédicale), 20/12/2005, ref: A 05-073
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedEpilepsy
InterventionIntervention:
VNS therapy is implanted under the left clavicle and typically this is done in 1 hour. The electrode is tunneled from the device sub-pectoral pocket to the left vagus nerve.

Control:
Best medical practice.
Intervention typeDevice
Pharmaceutical study type(s)
Phase
Drug / device / biological / vaccine name(s)
Primary outcome measure1. To show over time that the efficacy of adding VNS therapy is non-inferior to the efficacy obtained with best medical practice
2. To show over time superiority of VNS therapy in health outcomes compared with best medical practice using the 89-item Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-89) inventory
Secondary outcome measuresTo compare the efficacy and health outcomes of both treatment arms using other assessments focused on:
1. Seizure freedom
2. Mood
3. Safety/tolerability
4. Drug changes
5. Retention rate
6. Compliance
Overall study start date17/02/2006
Completion date31/12/2009
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)Participant recruitment issue

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants366
Key inclusion criteriaTo be eligible for enrolment in the study, patients must meet all of the following criteria:
1. Patient has confirmed partial onset seizures
2. Seizure activity is not adequately controlled by patient's current antiepileptic drug (AED) regimen
3. Patient is age 16 up to age 75, either sex
4. Patient is able to give accurate seizure counts and health outcomes information
5. Patient has previously failed at least 3 AEDs in single or combination use
6. During baseline, patient should take 1 AED
7. Patient should have confirmed epilepsy for a minimum of 2 years
8. Patient's AED regimen is stable for at least one month prior to enrolment
9. Patient has at least one partial onset seizure per month
10. Patients with an intelligence quotient (IQ) greater than or equal to 70
11. Patient or legal guardian understands study procedures and has voluntarily signed an informed consent in accordance with institutional policies
Key exclusion criteriaPatients with any of the following will not be eligible for enrolment:
1. Patient has a history of pseudoseizures
2. Patient has had more than one episode of status epilepticus (SE) in the past 12 months
3. Patient has idiopathic or difficult to classify seizures
4. Patient has ever received direct brain stimulation (cerebella or thalamic) for treatment of epilepsy
5. Patient has had a unilateral or bilateral cervical vagotomy
6. Patient has a history of non-compliance for seizure diary completion
7. Patient has taken an investigational drug within a period of 3 months prior to inclusion
8. Patient is currently using another investigational medical device
9. Patient has a significant cardiac or pulmonary condition currently under treatment
10. Patient has other progressive neurological disease, significant central nervous system (CNS) disease or injury, or cervical fracture that makes implantation of the VNS therapy system difficult
11. Patient has previously undergone brain surgery
12. Patient has a demand cardiac pacemaker, implantable defibrillator, or other implantable stimulator
13. Patient currently lives more than two hours away from the study site or plans to relocate to a location distant from the study site within one year of enrolment in the study
Date of first enrolment17/02/2006
Date of final enrolment31/12/2009

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

Hôpital Neurologique
Lyon
69003
France

Sponsor information

Cyberonics Europe SA/NV (Belgium)
Industry

Belgicastraat 9
Zaventem
1930
Belgium

Funders

Funder type

Industry

Cyberonics Europe SA/NV (Belgium) - educational grant to the academic centre collecting the data

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Basic results No No

Editorial Notes

22/03/2016: added link to results - basic reporting.

As of 19/02/2009 this record was updated to include an amendment to the overall trial start date; the initial start date at the time of registration was 01/09/2005.

Please also note that this trial was prematurely discontinued on 28/07/2008 due to recruitment issues.