Stroke patients usually have persistent upper limb motor dysfunction， which seriously affects their quality of life. As a new neuromodulation therapy， electrical stimulation of vagus nerve is widely used in intractable epilepsy， depression and chronic tinnitus. A large number of studies also suggest that electrical stimulation of vagus nerve can effectively improve motor dysfunction after stroke. This article reviews the research of vagus nerve electrical stimulation in improving motor dysfunction after stroke in China and abroad， and reviews its clinical application， mechanism of action and adverse reactions.