Medtronic commences enrolment for EU DBS epilepsy registry

Medtronic has announced that it has enrolled the first subject into its new European registry assessing the benefits of deep brain stimulation (DBS) among epilepsy patients.

A patient from the Netherlands has become the first to be included in the Medtronic Registry for Epilepsy, which will involve approximately 200 prospective patients over two years from more than 30 centres across Europe.

The aim of the programme is to generate data that supports the long-term efficacy, quality of life impact and safety of DBS therapy, which has been approved for treating epilepsy in Europe since 2010, but is yet to be ratified for this purpose in the US.

Dr Lothar Krinke, vice-president and general manager for the DBS business in Medtronic's neuromodulation division, said: "Medtronic helped pioneer deep brain stimulation and we continue to collaborate with leading researchers to advance DBS technology and research next-generation therapies to treat chronic neurological conditions."

Earlier this week, the company received European regulatory approval for its new CapSure Sense MRI SureScan pacing leads, which allow pacemaker patients to safely undergo MRI scanning.