Key result
Left and right VNS show comparable safety and efficacy, driven by targeting rather than laterality.
Why the study?
Due to the bilateral nature of the vagus nerve, comparative evaluation of left versus right vagus nerve stimulation is needed to determine the optimal stimulation site and enable personalized treatment strategies.
This review suggests that right vagus nerve stimulation may be a viable and safe alternative to the traditionally favored left-sided stimulation across various clinical applications, including heart failure and epilepsy.
Right VNS may be considered when left-sided access is limited; leaves open need for RCTs to optimize parameters.
Neuromodulation has profoundly transformed medical science, offering new treatments for various neurological conditions. Stimulation techniques that target the brain, spinal cord, trigeminal nerve, and vagus nerve (VN) use electrical impulses to modulate neural functions. Among these, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is distinguished for its use to stimulate the VN to modulate neural functions. VNS shows promising applications across a wide range of neurological conditions, exemplifying the ongoing evolution of neuromodulation. As VNS continues to prove its efficacy, an important consideration in its application arises over the optimal VN stimulation site due to the bilateral nature of the VN. This review highlights the need for comparative studies of left VNS (L-VNS) and right VNS (R-VNS) to enhance our understanding of neurophysiology. The advantages and limitations of stimulation to the left VN or right VN are examined to potentially lead to more personalized and effective treatment strategies.
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Sharma et al. (2025) conducted a review in Neurological and cardiovascular conditions (epilepsy, heart failure, depression, cognition). Left and right vagus nerve stimulation (L-VNS and R-VNS) was evaluated. Left and right vagus nerve stimulation can both be administered safely and effectively, with outcomes influenced more by anatomical targeting and stimulation parameters than by laterality alone.
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