Not so Breaking News on Multiple Sclerosis…

Ace Reporter Paul Paez has learned –just 2 1/2 months after the rest of the world!– that the hottest topic in MS therapy appears to be that the illness may actually be a vascular disease.

Known as CCSVI or Chronic CerebroSpinal Insufficiency, it’s a theory first postulated by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, an Italian vascular surgeon who began looking into the issue because his wife suffered from Multiple Sclerosis.

Presumably taking a break from resurfacing ice skating rinks, Dr. Zamboni began reading studies from researchers that found high levels of iron in the brains of MS patients. He began his own research by Using Doppler ultrasound to begin examining the necks of MS patients and found that almost 100 per cent of the patients had a narrowing, twisting or outright blockage of the veins that are supposed to flush blood from the brain. Comparing these findings to healthy people, he found none of these problems.

To address the problem, Dr. Zamboni stole a page from angiography in which doctors use balloons to open up blocked arteries that feed blood from the heart.  Three years ago, he began to study 65 MS patients to see if endovascular surgery would restore flow in these vessels. The results suggest that patients had a decrease in the number of new MS attacks, and a big reduction in the number of brain lesions.

All good, but the limited sample is far from proof, so there is much debate still going on.

Here’s a good overview of the situation by fellow blogger, Marc the Wheelchair Kamakaze

There’s also a Facebook page dedicated to the subject, with more than 8000 members!

And here’s something from Julie Stachowiak over on About.com.

Cheers,

Still more news stories on CCSVI below:

• MS ‘blood blockage theory’ tested (news.bbc.co.uk)
• MS vein theory creates ‘huge hope’: MD (cbc.ca)
• Experimental MS surgery draws Canadian interest (cbc.ca)
• Multiple Sclerosis and Irrational Exuberance (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
• MS Society calls for research into experimental therapy (ctv.ca)

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