CCSVI

Chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a new theory on the diagnosis and treatment of MS.  Italian vascular surgeon, Dr Paolo Zamboni, believes his research shows that MS is caused by the narrowing or obstruction of blood vessels to the brain which leads to the build up of iron in the blood stream.  This build up can then pass the blood-brain barrier leading to inflammation and damage to the central nervous system.

Dr Zamboni’s research examined the blood vessels leading to and from the brain of 116 people with MS.  Abnormalities were discovered in this group but not in the control group which included people with other neurological conditions and those who were healthy.

Dr Zamboni has used surgery to correct the abnormities.  This involved inserting ‘balloon’ or stents into the vein to increase the blood flow.

CCSVI has not been widely accepted in the research or medical field as clinical evidence is underdeveloped at this stage. CCSVI is a brand new field of research and while it holds much potential and hope as a new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of MS, it needs long-term, large scale clinical studies before the theory is proven and accepted.

Researchers at Buffalo University in New York are now recruiting 1,700 adults and children from the United States and Canada to test his hypothesis.

MS Ireland supports research into the cause, treatment and cure of MS. We are excited by the developments of CCSVI and we look forward to the large-scale studies before any recommendations or conclusions can be made.

10th February 2010

To learn more about CCSVI, watch this news feature from Sky News TV

21st November 2009

To learn more about CCSVI, watch this news feature from Canadian TV or read MS Canada's CCSVI fact sheet