CCSVI MS
What is CCSVI?
CCSVI, or Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency, is a condition in which the jugular and azygous veins, which drain blood from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body, are narrowed, malformed, missing or otherwise blocked. Dr. Paolo Zamboni of the University of Ferrara has conducted extensive multiple sclerosis research that indicates that CCSVI could be one of the causes of MS, and a link to finding an effective MS treatment.
Dr. Zamboni first discovered the correlation between CCSVI and MS while researching possible causes of multiple sclerosis after his wife was diagnosed with MS. Dr. Zamboni noticed the connection after studying the brains of MS sufferers. According to Dr. Zamboni’s findings, people with CCSVI blockages have to develop other ways to drain blood away from the central nervous system to the heart. These alternate blood routes may not be as effective. Blood may drain too slowly and cause swelling, or the blood flow may reverse and go back into the brain. This sluggish or refluxing blood flow results in iron build-up, which, in turn, causes the lesions typically found on the brains and spinal cords of MS patients.
According to Dr. Zamboni’s CCSVI-MS theory, treating CCSVI can help treat MS. Dr. Zamboni has developed an endovascular surgery that helps repair these blockages to improve blood flow between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. In CCSVI clinical trails, this procedure has been successful as a multiple sclerosis treatment. Many MS sufferers who underwent the procedure experienced improved movement and mobility, a reduction in brain lesions and an overall better quality of life.
For more information about CCSVI, the Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre offers publications, videos, presentations and more on the subject.
