This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

does anyone have experience with cutting balloons?

drsclafani first tried one in march on a tightly stenosed vein, and "it was like buttah".

a friend today had a cutting balloon during a procedure. seemed from the description that *it* wasn't like buttah.

any word on restenosis rates etc from the use of a cutting balloon?

all I know about cutting balloons I learned from Dr.Scalfani's thread and this paper:

From The Journal of Invasive Cardiology > Case Reports
Review: Cutting Balloon Angioplasty
Michael S. Lee, MD, Varinder Singh, MD, Thomas J. Nero, MD, James R. Wilentz, MD

Posted: 10/21/2002; J Invasive Cardiol. 2002;14(9) © 2002 Health Management Publications, Inc.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442312;meddomainjsession=JpFnL1cBQgNf7m2CfsTgQTT4pjThx55ktRvDzN7XrqfLvxDr2xxS!-21605313

edited to fix link, did it work?

_________________
"However, the truth in science ultimately emerges, although sometimes it takes a very long time," Arthur Silverstein, Autoimmunity: A History of the Early Struggle for Recognition

You got me thinking about cutting balloons so I found this online that I thought was pretty interesting.

http://vasculardiseasemanagement.com/article/4188

Peace,

Sheila

yah i didn't mean to start a new thread. and in fact i think i want to ask drS directly. my friend's cutting balloon attempt was followed by an old-fashioned "wire".

here's an animation from a manufacturer. kind of creepy, if you ask me, and it show CB in conjunction with a stent.

http://www.bostonscientific.com/Device. ... roductPage

August 2010, at the SUNY conference Gary Siskin warns against cutting balloons as a case came to him where the entire jugular vein was occluded and thrombosed due to this type of balloon. His lecture does NOT include any use of this device. In fact, he warns about even going up to a 14mm regular balloon because he has experienced dissections. That is a breakage of the vein, leading to bleeding into the surrounding tissue and formation of complete clot which will lead to occlusion. He follows up with patients next day with ultrasound to look for these complications. He feels the MS veins are completely different from other veins he has worked with which alludes that they are more subject to damage. REALLY, YA THINK?? To hear this part of the lecture, start at 22:30. It's very dense with technical jargon, but ANY IR YOU GO TO SHOULD HEAR THIS LECTURE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL5DmnXw9BQ

The cutting balloon was evaluated in print in 2002 in the Journal of Invasive Cardiology, which is not a mainstream journal. The same year, the Journal of American Cardiology also compared the use of cutting balloon (CB) versus standard on heart patients. What they found was no advantage, and they DID have 5 cases of a cut to the artery they were trying to fix. Zero cuts using standard ballooning. Study was done at Harvard and they recommend against using the cutting balloon unless special needs arise. Am Journal of Cardiology 2002 November. Since then, PubMed shows plenty of papers on "cutting balloon angioplasty" but they are all on arteries, with the exception of dialysis ports. Even in arteries there is no advantage other than in some types of inguinal grafts. From this it appears there is no evidence that the "cutting balloon" is safe for the weakened and diseased veins which afflict the MS patient. As it is, their veins may dissect, simply with ballooning. Dr. Sclafani, could you please give us your experience? I am still looking for your thread.