Vagus-sparing Surgery
Vagus-sparing Surgery - Related Videos
11:02
Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Tool to Induce Plasticity in Pathways Relevant for Extinction Learning
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Cited by 45 •
2015
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a tool to induce targeted synaptic plasticity in the forebrain to modify a range of behaviors. This protocol describes how to implement VNS to facilitate the consolidation of fear extinction memory.
04:34
Modified Spared Nerve Injury Surgery Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
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Cited by 5 •
2022
The modified surgery is a simplified method for mouse or rat spared nerve injury model that requires only one ligation and one cut to injure both common peroneal and sural nerves.
07:17
Implantation Surgery for Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Recording Studies in Awake Rats
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Cited by 3 •
2024
The present protocol describes the surgical technique for implanting an electrode array onto the abdominal vagus nerve in rats, along with methods for chronic electrophysiology testing and stimulation using the implanted device.
04:42
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on the Human Ear
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2025
Source: Badran, B. W., et al. Laboratory Administration of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS): Technique, Targeting, and Considerations. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)This video demonstrates transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a noninvasive method for modulating brain activity. Electrodes are placed on the anterior wall of the outer ear canal and the tragus, targeting the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN). When stimulated, the resulting nerve impulse...
02:44
Vagus Nerve Stimulation in a Rat Model to Reduce Freezing Behavior
0 Views •
2025
Source: Childs, J. E., et al. Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Tool to Induce Plasticity in Pathways Relevant for Extinction Learning. J. Vis. Exp. (2015)This video demonstrates the method of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in a rat model to reduce freezing behavior. Fear-conditioned rats receive VNS during sound re-exposure, leading to reduced freezing and revealing its therapeutic potential.
FAQs
These trunks carry parasympathetic pathways that influence nearby thoracic and abdominal organs. Identifying both before dissection helps the surgeon understand where neural tissue travels relative to the esophagus, stomach, or adjacent structures. This anatomical orientation supports selective tissue handling and reduces the likelihood that necessary vagal pathways will be disrupted during treatment.
Each maneuver can place nearby vagal tissue at risk when performed close to the neural pathways. Vagus-sparing surgery therefore emphasizes limiting traction, avoiding unnecessary cautery near the trunks and branches, and preventing transection through neural tissue. These precautions help retain autonomic connections that may contribute to digestive function and physiologic recovery.
Vagal pathways provide parasympathetic control to organs involved in digestion, including the stomach. Maintaining these connections may help support gastric emptying, digestive function, and broader autonomic regulation after surgery. The potential benefit is not limited to treating the underlying disease, because preservation also aims to retain more physiologic organ behavior during recovery.
The surgeon first identifies the relevant anterior and posterior vagal trunks and their branches in relation to the operative target. Dissection then proceeds around, rather than through, neural tissue, while traction and cautery near these pathways remain limited. The diseased structure can consequently be treated while the identified neural anatomy is protected.
The approach is particularly relevant when surgery involves the esophagus, stomach, or nearby structures, where vagal pathways may lie within or near the operative field. Preserving those pathways can help maintain functions connected with gastric emptying, digestion, and autonomic regulation. It therefore provides a useful framework for disease treatment alongside attention to postoperative function.
Evaluation should consider functional recovery in addition to whether the operative treatment addressed the disease. Outcomes may be examined in relation to gastric emptying, digestive function, autonomic regulation, and the overall physiologic course after surgery. This emphasis helps determine whether careful neural preservation translated into meaningful functional benefit for the patient.