This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

[pairOdime]

Does Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) provide a possible treatment option for occluded stents?

[DrCumming]

AFAIK, no.

The only success I have had is using an atherectomy device (SilverHawk) in superficial femoral artery stents. I do not think this will work in the IJ very well (never know until you try). Potential risk is getting the device tangled up with the stent.

[Rokkit]

Well I was certain when this thread was started that it was in reference to Marie's awesome post on facebook which was made yesterday also. So I was confused why the OP didn't link to it. I thought Marie or Joan would post it here and I didn't want to steal Marie's thunder, but it is so freakin' cool. You simply must read the whole thing.

Dr. McGuckin has been working on perfecting and refining the technique of using RF ablation to break through the fibrous blockage in fully occluded stents. RF ablation is an FDA approved approach that physicians use to destroy problem tissue (like tumors) which has been available for some years now. Using it to open occluded stents is off label use with great promise. This approach may help those of us with a totally occluded stent, such as the one I have in my left jugular.

James McGuckin Comments
by CCSVI in Multiple Sclerosis on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 10:29am
http://tinyurl.com/4alhwy3

The potential risk DrCumming pointed out does sound scary indeed, but at least this is an idea being worked on. And Marie's story in all this is just really intriguing.