New Hope For MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Sufferers

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI)  describes a situation in which the venous system is not able to efficiently remove blood from the central nervous system. This is related to a stenosis or narrowing of small venous structures in the neck, chest and spine.

The superior vena cava is a large diameter, yet short vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium. The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava. The azygos vein is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column. It can also provide an alternate path for blood to the superior vena cava. There is a theory that when stenosis occurs in the veins of the neck, chest and spine, ‘substitute circles’ of venous blood vessels develop in an attempt to assist drainage from central nervous system pathways. The hypothesis suggests that because these compensatory blood vessels have a weaker wall strength they tend to leak blood into the adjacent tissue. A resulting iron deposit there triggers an immune response. Multiple sclerosis has been proposed as the outcome of CCSVI.  Iron deposits have long been documented in MS lesions and it is well known that every MS lesion forms symmetrically around a vein.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths (electrically insulating material) around the nerve fibres of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This leads to scarring and eventual impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved. The person with MS can suffer

• changes in sensation
  
• muscle weakness
  
• muscle spasms
  
• difficulty in moving
  
• difficulties with coordination and balance
  
• problems in speech or swallowing
  
• visual problems
  
• fatigue
  
• acute or chronic pain
  
• bladder and bowel difficulties
  
• cognitive impairment of varying degrees
  
• depression or unstable mood
  
• a flare up of symptoms due to exposure to temperature changes
• an electrical sensation that runs down the back when bending the neck

Multiple sclerosis is very difficult to diagnose because it's symptoms are similar to other medical problems. Until recently, there have been several therapies for MS but no known cure. MS patients may have unpredictable attacks or relapses of symptoms followed by a period of remission with no new signs of disease. In other cases patients may experience decline from the beginning without attacks or steady neurological decline and superimposed attacks. The primary aim of therapy (which is normally drug therapy) is

• to recover function after an attack
• to prevent new attacks from occurring
  
• to prevent disability.
  

Many medications used in the management of MS have several adverse side effects.

Italian doctor and vascular surgeon Paolo Zamboni found in a preliminary study in 2008 that in over 90% of the participants afflicted with multiple sclerosis there were several problems, like narrowing and defective valves, in veins draining their brain. Due to this restricted outflow of blood he discovered a high level of accumulation of iron deposits in the brain and inflammation of the blood brain barrier. He concluded that the majority of his MS patients had CCSVI and performed a surgical procedure to correct it. His findings reported that 73% of his patients improved. Unfortunately Dr. Zamboni's studies were not randomly controlled to eliminate selective bias so they would not be accepted by the medical communities in North America until confirmed by controlled studies.

Currently the treatment, called the liberation procedure, which relieves the venous drainage problems is being performed in countries such as Poland, Egypt and Germany to name a few, but it is currently not available in North America.   The problematic veins are first identified by venography. Then, balloon angioplasty is used to open up the problematic veins. In some cases, stents are inserted to help keep the veins open. The procedure is relatively non-invasive and is done in day hospital under local anesthesia. Access to the veins is through the left femoral vein in the thigh. Total time in the hospital is usually less than 6 hours and the subject has a compression dressing on for 24 hours.  Many patients have experienced total reversal of symptoms, while others have had some improvement.  Yet there were those who had a recurrence of the impaired venous drainage problems following the treatment.

So what is the cause of the venous drainage problems? MS is more common in people who live farther from the equator, although many exceptions exist. Decreased sunlight exposure has been linked with a higher risk of MS. Decreased vitamin D production and intake has been the main biological mechanism used to explain the higher risk among those less exposed to sun. It is interesting to note that adequate vitamin D in childhood prevents MS in most cases, therefore, one may conclude that vitamin D supply must have a substantial effect on the health of the venous drainage system. Other potential factors indicated are stress, environmental factors, exposure to infectious agents or any combination of the three. MS is not considered a hereditary disease. However, a number of genetic variations have been shown to increase the risk of developing the disease.

Correction of venous drainage problems with a relatively simple procedure may well turn out to be a very effective, long lasting, drug-free treatment for MS at the time of diagnosis. Efforts are currently being made in Canada, as I am sure they are in other countries, to encourage research funding in the direction of CCSVI as a key component of MS and the liberation procedure as a standard procedure.
Many MS patients feel that just as angioplasty is performed for coronary blockages, so too should the liberation procedure be performed if problematic veins are identified in MS patients simply because the blockage exists. One of the major roadblocks yet is that the testing, to determine if there are problematic veins, is not readily available in Canada or the USA , nor is the liberation procedure performed on this continent. Many MS patients, in desperation are seeking help in other countries in the hopes of being liberated from this disease. There are an amazing number of positive results returning from these procedures, which begs the question, what is taking North American medicine so long to get in on the research? Many MS patients are concerned about the adverse side effects of their medications and their long term effects, especially when the medications do not address the venous drainage problem. A long lasting drug free solution to providing them with a possible reversal of some or all of their symptoms should receive serious consideration from the medical and pharmaceutical communities.

My brother is currently in Egypt to be tested for CCSVI and if confirmed he will have the liberation procedure performed.  It is very unfortunate that he is unable to receive this testing and treatment in his own country.  However, he is fortunate enough to be able to make the long trip and afford to go, which isn't the case for many suffering from this debilitating disease.

Source - Wikipedia