This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Any news from the Damadian/Rosa studies though Dr F?

There is nothing new that I know about. It will take a long time if they are the only ones doing upright studies. Hopefully, more researchers will get involved. All they have to do is repeat the studies that have been done in the recumbent position.

There's only one Upright MRI available at this time?

I emailed Mike with some questions and your note.
Mike, I also have a question for you about the stats from your PTA's. Is there a % figure for the number of people treated overal who have dysautonomia?
I get the feeling that you are finding CCSVI is 50% directly dyautonomia related through Stylohyoid complex. Does that mean that the remaining % are dysautonomia free or could it mean that there is another cause of symptoms that are similar but steam from another area of the system, such as caused by CSF flow issues or NPH?
Does that make sense to you, I am guessing that Dr F will have a similar line of thought.
So basically the cause of dyautonomia symptoms 50 (ish)% of the time is Stylohyoid complex and the remaining cause of the same symptoms is caused by blood or CSF flows elsewhere is the vascular system or with the skull or muscular structures and PTA as CCSVI treatment can be a resolution of unknown time frame?
And another way to say it that CCSVI treatment is symptomatically benefiting symptoms like dysautonomia especially in PwMS?

Increased risk of multiple sclerosis after traumatic brain injury: a nationwide population-based study.
Kang JH, Lin HC.
Source
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract
The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still not well known. Previous data show conflicting results regarding the association between MS and prior brain trauma. This study aims to investigate the risk for MS following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a large-scale cohort study design. This study used data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 72,765 patients with TBI were identified and included as the study cohort, and 218,295 randomly selected subjects were matched with the study cohort by sex and age as controls. We traced each patient individually for a 6-year period from their index health care utilization to identify those who received a subsequent diagnosis of MS. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test to compare the difference in 6-year MS-free survival rates between the two groups. Stratified Cox proportional hazard regressions were computed to compare the risk of developing MS for these two cohorts. Patients with TBI had a higher incidence of MS during the 6-year period than the comparison group (0.055% versus 0.037%). After excluding cases who died from non-MS causes, stratifying for hospitalization of cases as a proxy for severity, and adjusting for monthly income and geographic region of the community in which the patient resided, the hazard ratio (HR) of MS for patients with hospital-treated TBI injuries was 1.97 (95% CI 1.31,2.93, p<0.01) that of patients without TBI during the 6-year follow-up period after index health care use. Our study concludes that patients with TBI are at higher risk for subsequent MS over a 6-year follow-up period.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044110

Although they are still new yet, there are upright MRI facilities all over the US. Ray and Deb went to one of them. They are terrrfic for standard imaging. They just haven't been used for cranial hydrodynamic studies yet.

I have a different opinion as to why PTA improves dysautonomia. As I have mentioned many times on this thread and my website, displacement of the brain inside the cranial vault causes abnormal mechanical loads on the foramen, fissures, caverns, sinuses etc.. similar to the foramen magnum. Typically the jugular foramen is protected by the petrous portion of the temporal bone but there are design variations and some are more exposed. Nonetheless, the jugular foramen and accoustic foramen are subject to shear stresses in the posterior fossa such as downward displacement of the brain towards the foramen magnum. In contrast to compression of the vagus nerve as suggested by Dr. Arata, I suspect that PTA decompresses the jugular foramen.

Just looking at all the cases reported on this thread alone it's hard to believe that scientists still question the connection between MS and trauma. There is very little difference between traumatic brain injuries and whiplash. Anyone with a basic understanding of physics should see the connection whether or not the studies say so. "You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows." (Bob Dylan)

Nigel,
If you could relay to Dr. Arata that I suspect that by decompressing the internal jugular he is increasing the pressure gradient in the sigmoid sinus which effects the pressure gradients in the petrosal and cavernous sinuses. The petrosal sinuses link the cavernous sinus to the sigmoid sinus and internal jugular veins. The cavernous sinuses are part of the cooling system of the brain. They also drain the deep structures of the brain such as the thalamus. The cavernous sinuses are connected by the intercavernous sinuses and the petrosals are connected by basilar sinuses. It's actually a complex interconnected network to accomodate shifts in head positon and posture. I have a good picture of the sinus drainage system in my book with the internal carotid artery passing through it. I will be discussing the thalamus on my next website page. The thalmus and hypothalmus surround the third ventricle. The hypothalamus is functionally related to the autonomic nervous system.

dr flanagan
thank you for your last message, i had read about a chiari malformation before and wondered if i maybe had that, would that not show up on a normal mri then, would it have to be an upright mri? we do have an upright scanner here in london in the uk which i would have to pay privately for so would it be worth me getting it checked out? is there aything that can be done for a chiari malformation? i have also forgotten to ask you in previous messages do you think there's a connection between the syrinx and my ms, or am i just unlucky to have them both? or could it be the syrinx that causes everything even plaques on my brain? thanks again for your advice

Hi JueFaz,
The syrinx is most likey caused by fautly fluid mechanics between the cranial vault and spinal cord. A Chiari malformation is a potential cause of the faulty fluid mechanids. The fused segments may also be contributing to the faulty fluid mechanics and the syrinx. A recumbent MRI will often show a Chiari malformation (CTE) but if it is borderline as in an aquired Chiari 1 type malformation and upright MRI would be better. The syrinx is not the cause of the MS. The cause of the MS and syrinx is most likely due to faulty fluid mechanics in the brain and cord. It is possible to improve or maintain your current condition and prevent further deterioration by addressing your spinal issues as you are currently doing. There are several different manual therapies such as specific upper cervical techniques or craniopathy by qualified doctors that can be helpful. You don't have to do anything for the syrinx but monitor it occassionally and make sure it doesn't expand.

Dr F I think you need to keep an eye on this threads progress and comment at will
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Arata/posts ... ment_reply

Gards,
Nigel

Nigel,
Do you know if Dr. Arata got my message.

He did and is putting together a reply for you

A comment from;
Franz Schelling The structures from which, and the directions in which, MS lesions develop
are the only reliable key to understanding their causation.
In limiting our investigations into the nature of MS to its neurological dysfunctions we fail to take advantage of this key.

Extremes in CSF flow being primarily a matter of venous dynamics, venous dynamics cannot but be considered first and CSF dynamics secondary in the causation of lesions being "typical" (to be precise: specific) to MS.
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Arata/posts ... ed_comment

had hyperthyroidsim in past but not now. recent bloodwork shows I'm low in vit D and magnesium.

Hello Coach,
The hyperthyroidism is probably due to other causes. Considering your history of postpartum ON, however, it would be interesting to see if you have an empty sella turcica (location of pituitary gland) or CSF congestion in your optic nerve sheath.

the CINE mri I had a while back didn't show any abnomality.