Controversial Treatment May Not Help MS Patients

Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 6:00 AM

TUESDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A theory claiming that multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by the narrowing of veins in the neck appears to be unfounded, Canadian researchers report.

Called "chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency" (CCSVI), Dr. Paolo Zamboni, from the University of Ferrara, in Italy, first proposed the idea in 2009. It soon caught the attention of many MS sufferers in search of a cure.

"He thought the main problem in MS could be the veins draining the brain and spinal cord; that these veins were blocked or congested," Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, lead researcher for the new study, said during a Tuesday morning press briefing.

The treatment, which Zamboni called the "liberation procedure," was to surgically open these veins, thereby fixing the problem and curing or at least reducing the symptoms of MS, explained Traboulsee, medical director of the MS Clinic at the University of British Columbia Hospital, part of Vancouver Coastal Health.

MS affects about 2.3 million people worldwide, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It causes inflammation and damage to the central nervous system that leads to problems with mobility, balance, sensation and thinking, depending upon where the damage occurs.

"Around the world, thousands of patients sought out this [new] treatment and reported, through social media, significant improvements," Traboulsee said. But the theory has been criticized and independent verification has been lacking, he said.

The Canadian report was published online in the Oct. 9 issue of The Lancet.

To determine the validity of the CCSVI theory and the so-called liberation treatment's effectiveness, Traboulsee and colleagues devised a series of studies.

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Controversial Treatment May Not Help MS Patients