Caution Urged for Experimental MS Treatment
Experts Say Using Angioplasty to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Should Only Be Done in Clinical Trials
WebMD News Archive
Testing the Theory continued...
According to Zamboni's theory, blockages in veins leading from the brain
cause iron-rich blood to back up into the brain, triggering the inflammation
that damages the brain and spinal cord. The condition is dubbed chronic
cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).
In his first, small imaging study, all the MS patients had the blockages,
while none of the healthy people did.
At the meeting, Zivadinov presented data on the first 500 participants in a
new study, 289 of whom had MS. Results were less dramatic, with ultrasounds
revealing blockages in 62% of MS patients, 26% of healthy participants, and 45%
of people with other neurological disorders.
Miller tells WebMD that the conflicting results of the Zamboni and Zivadinov
studies "raise a lot of questions."
Also, the findings do not prove cause and effect, as researchers can't say
if the blocked veins cause MS or vice versa.
As for treatment, Zamboni has published a study of 65 patients who underwent
an angioplasty procedure to open the blocked veins using a small balloon
attached to a catheter inserted though a small incision in the groin. Most of
the patients had fewer MS attacks, but the improvement was short-lived for
Additionally, the study lacked any comparison group receiving placebo. Since
MS often takes a remitting, relapsing course, it’s not known how many would
have improved temporarily anyway, Miller says.
In the U.S., one team of researchers stopped doing procedures to open the
blockades after a metal stent -- used to prop open arteries after angioplasty
-- migrated to a patient's heart. Another patient died of brain bleeding after
Zamboni says stents should not be used to treat these patients.
Both Zamboni and Zivadinov plan further study. In the meantime, Zamboni
urges people with MS to follow the advice of experts, not that of "blogger