This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Outstanding is a good word for it. Remarkable, surprising, appreciated? I would not have the knowledge I have if it weren't for what has been taught here.

EJC, you and someone else made a comment recently about not understanding everything here. I couldn't find the other comment. I was wondering what parts aren't being understood?

I get lost with some of the medical speak, I don't have a full grasp of the anatomy of the area and as I jump in and out of this thread I also miss developments.

It's why I thought it would be a good idea to ask Dr S for an overview of where he is but dumbed down as much as possible so I (and others) can grasp it a little better.

I would love to have the time to do a basic anatomy course so I could understand this a little more, sadly I don't.

Some of my questions may well be curious as they are often middle of the night ramblings of my mind when I can't sleep.

We're all here trying to get to grips with what any of this is, sometimes I find it helpful just to throw out thoughts, some can be discounted immediately, others may make us think.

It was only last week that it dawned on me CCSVI treatment and Jaw/Skeletal misalignment treatment provided relief of two completely different sets of symptoms. Up until now my mind has been concentrating on "MS" not breaking down the symptoms into their component parts.

If we diagnose a mechanical/electrical problem with a car, we start with symptom and try and follow it back to it's root cause in the hope solve it.

Over the years MS seems to have missed out on this logic by the powers that be simply addressing one thing (immune system) and providing products to deal with symptom relief. A patient would sit in front of their specialist describe a list of symptoms and they would all be attributed to "brain lesions" or "MS".

There is a part of mind that says things like this:-

Your hands and feet are cold? Then your circulation is clearly an issue.

Neuralgic pain? Then I think of trapped nerves like a sciatica problem.

Eyesight issues like Optic Neuritis ? Is there excess pressure around the back of the eyeball (cranial pressure).

etc etc.

If the case today involved the renal and azygous, this is a good image for the anatomy and whereabouts of relevant veins:

This was already in my photobucket account, so it's no trouble to post this sort of thing if anyone finds it helpful.

You can see the left renal vein where it's labelled. Also notice the much smaller vein coming off the top of the left renal vein that leads up into the hemiazygous vein. If the left renal vein is compressed, then the flow is diverted into the hemiazygous vein. It looks like the hemiazygous vein then crosses over and drains into the azygous vein.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azygos_vein

This might be a better image. See the red artery running behind the left renal vein?

My own hemiazygous and renal vein anatomy is in some way a variant but I do not know how! At the end of my July 2011 procedure, Dr. Sclafani mentioned that it was a variant, and that instead of going from x vein to x vein to get to the renal vein, he went from x vein to y vein to z vein. He spoke fast when he shared this, and I with less knowledge did not catch the exact variant. But I don't think it matters, as the salient point was that it was a variant route but not in any way a damaging route.

the most common reflux I see during venography is from the dural sinus to the occipital emissary and the condylar emissary veins These veins drain into the posterior cervicals veins. Many headaches patients have that improve involve the skull base in the back of the neck. This is what suggested to me that some of these headaches might be vascular congestion of the muscles of the back of the neck

_________________
Salvatore JA Sclafani MD
Patient contact: ccsviliberation@gmail.com

Are you saying that the reason to do skeletal manipulations before the ccsvi treatment is related the fact that relates to the fact that ccsvi techniques are in evolution?

_________________
Salvatore JA Sclafani MD
Patient contact: ccsviliberation@gmail.com

dlynn
i think this should be clarified because the reference to embolization many not be familiar to many readers.

_________________
Salvatore JA Sclafani MD
Patient contact: ccsviliberation@gmail.com

I don't think it would be reasonable to consider that the single defining factor but it is certainly a consideration when taking everything as a whole.

However, it's a conclusion in hindsight simply based on how far CCSVI has come in the two years since my wife had a procedure.

Where will CCSVI be in two years from now?

It's one of those conundrums that you're faced with in life. Do I get it done now or wait?

That was the thought process that lead me to ask the guestion of you a few posts back - "Where do you think you are with CCSVI right now?"

Thanks for posting these Cece.

I have a basic grasp of what the procedure is and where everything is. In so much as I understand what the procedure does and what it's treating.

Where I get lost is the mechanics of the flow and when the discussions start to get detailed. A good example is the post above by Dr S.




I can look at an anatomical diagram which will explain to me where each item referred to above is sited. However understanding where they are and understanding the relevance of reflux in these areas are two different conversations entirely.

Yes please, I've read this a couple of times and looked up "embolization" but I'm none the wiser.

I have to go to work now but will review embolization and its relevance as soon as I hae the time. It is, in this circumstance , a very important and relevant concept

_________________
Salvatore JA Sclafani MD
Patient contact: ccsviliberation@gmail.com

The sinuses are at the base of the brain, within the skull. Flow collects in the sinuses and flows out through the jugulars. A blockage in the jugulars can affect the flow through the sinuses so that some blood flow is diverted out through the usually tiny emissary veins that travel through the skull itself. In some CCSVI patients, these emissary veins are unusually large, allowing a fair amount of flow to exit the skull this way. If too much flow is diverted through these emissary veins and to the posterior cervical veins, then there ends up being venous congestion. These veins were not meant to serve as drainage for the blood coming from the brain but instead meant to drain the blood flow from the neck muscles.

If the jugular blockages are opened, then the flow travels smoothly out the jugulars and there is no diverting to smaller blood vessels and the veins of the neck muscles can do a better job of draining the neck muscles. I don't understand exactly how venous congestion of the neck muscles would lead to headaches but it would mean slow-moving flow and dilated veins and capillaries and reduced oxygen available for the veins themselves and the neck muscles.

So the emissary veins have over developed to compensate in some way for the blockage in the jugulars but these veins still don't have enough capacity to compensate completely?

So that is the reflux and a symptom of that is headaches?

Hi Team,
I think that Dr F has more info on the functions of the various outlet flows that will explain the situation with headaches and other issues.
The 'chambers' of the Skull require the CSF to support the brain and decrease the contact points of the brain against skull, and also to keep the flow passages open.
In my understanding for example if the brain is not supported in the cavities of the Skull by CSF then there will be many issues such as the brain 'sitting' too low in the Foraman Magnum and causing Chiari Malformation (Brain Stem) issues etc, etc.
The blood flows impact other aspects of the system, CSF flow is created by Blood flow, CSF flow and functions are diverse, from cooling to support and then there is nutrient and waste transport. If the CSF is impeded by low flow then parts of the brain will suffer, such as the Thalamus and so on.

The whole system of Bloods and CSF is very complex and interdependent.

If there are also Alignment issues, scar tissues from injury, inflammation from infections, malformed bones and many other issues the fluid flows will be effected, that imo has to be addressed first and when the best is achieved then the flow issues will be simpler to address.
Upright MRI is now showing the complexity of the Atlas base of Skull region regarding alignments and flows which could not be imaged previously and therefore was misunderstood.

Each part of the system has to be assessed and optimised and a sequence approach has some logic I think.
Each Specialist has to link with the other Specialists to confront the complexity of CCSVI imo.

On with Flow as they say
Regards,
Nigel