This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Dr. David Williams of the University of Michigan has conflicting feelings about CCSVI after treating one patient. As an interventional radiologist, he routinely opens up veins of patients who suffer from blockages and experience severe symptoms.

He is skeptical of the theory because the blocked veins in MS patients are very minor compared to ones in the patients he treats. At the same time, he said he can't ignore stories of patients who say they've been helped by his colleagues.

Williams didn't think he did much for an MS patient whose veins he recently dilated — veins that weren't very narrow. But the patient let him know soon after that her symptoms had improved dramatically.

Even though he didn't understand why the patient got relief, he compared the effect to acupuncture.

"We don't really understand all the physiology and anatomy in that response and yet people get responses to acupuncture even though we don't understand all the pathways," Williams said. "So I am prepared to accept that there may be some things like that in this (treatment)."