Does non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation improve symptoms in patients with gastrointestinal disorders compared with sham stimulation?
Non-invasive VNS holds promise as a safe and effective therapy for improving symptoms in diverse gastrointestinal disorders, though larger studies are needed.
104), with a mean age ranging from 15 to 65 years. Non-invasive VNS significantly improved symptoms across all subsets of patients, as measured differently according to disease type, compared with sham stimulation. Adverse events, if reported, were low, with no serious complications. Putative mechanisms of action were assumed to be related to anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects. Non-invasive VNS holds promise as a safe therapy for diverse gastrointestinal disorders. However, these findings are derived from studies with small sample sizes and provide preliminary insights. Further research is warranted to define its exact position within the therapeutic arsenal.
Veldman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.