2 stent or not to stent thats the question

A forum to discuss Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency and its relationship to Multiple Sclerosis.
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greenmtns
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2 stent or not to stent thats the question

Post by greenmtns »

In CCSVI, what would keep the veins from constricting after ballooning if stents are not used and why would they not go back to being restricted? I know there has been some clotting issues in a few cases with stents.
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CureIous
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Post by CureIous »

Exactly. Such is the dilemna facing those learning about CCSVI for the first time, and contemplating the differing approaches to treatment. Keep in mind, many people have clotted, to the point of closure of the vein, from angioplasty alone. Let alone the damage done from multiple procedures. I have stents, 4 of them. So far, 19 months and counting, so good, but that is of relatively little import to anyone elses personal decision as to which way they go. For instance, some have been found to have mild stenosis, which has responded well to angioplasty. Some have had more severe stenosis which is difficult to hold open for a variety of reasons, location, elastic recoil etc etc.

Some Dr's like Dr. Sclafani are on the cutting edge of the techniques being used to overcome what is understandably, a patient-specific treatment, what works for me, or you, or him or her, may or may not work for someone else, there's just no telling until you are evaluated, and treated, and by whom, and how much experience they have, what is their approach (conservative, aggressive etc.).

It's not a decision to take lightly, and your question is oft asked, and is unanswerable for the most part, other than to say do as much of your own digging as possible, (that doesn't for the most part include media stories, as they are usually bereft of thorough, balanced information, at least the type of info you seek).

For every plus, there's a minus, angio, stents, or stasis, which is the only sure thing. You can wait for more studies, if you can hold on, the knowledge base and skill sets of those performing these treatments grows daily. Avoid tourism, stay close as possible to home, have a before/during/after gameplan for EVERY contingency, and most of all, don't worry, the IR's of the world will be right there when you are ready, the hospitals aren't going anywhere, MS is for most of us in the RR stages, is a fairly slow moving disease , you just have to take your own personal stock of the plusses, minuses, go/no go vs. risk benefits, money situation, family situation, "what if". Everyone is in a different place, some can wait and choose not to (me), some can wait and choose to, some have run out of wait and feel compelled to action sooner rather than later.

But to stent/not stent, tough question to answer.

Whatever you decide, eyes wide open, no regrets, and no question left unasked, and if any particular Dr. doesn't answer in a way that makes you feel comfortable with your treatment decision, I suggest you find another Dr. or wait. In the end, you live with the consequences, good bad or otherwise, not them. Good luck.

Mark
RRMS Dx'd 2007, first episode 2004. Bilateral stent placement, 3 on left, 1 stent on right, at Stanford August 2009. Watch my operation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwc6QlLVtko, Virtually symptom free since, no relap
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