Cece wrote:
This trial does not tell us if open veins have any effect on MS because the veins were not successfully opened.
Without questioning the scientific integrity of this study, you have to wonder if the results would have been significantly different if the 10 patients had been treated by an IR with experience in treating CCSVI. The key point you bring out here strongly suggests, as you say, that treatment was not successful in improving blood flow.
I know Dr. Sclafani has made the point several times that it took considerable time before he was effective in identifying and treating problems and it is clear from his thread here that he is still learning.
While Dr. Siddiqui may have experience with treating CCSVI beyond the 10 patients treated here, I am not aware of that and think this is crucial.
Sadly though, I think this study is going to be a major roadblock in getting support for further research.
A unfortunate aspect of this is that some 30,000 people have been treated with little data collected to assess the efficacy of treatment and then the whole thing goes up in smoke based on what seems to have happened when 10 patients are treated or possibly under-treated.
A further outcome of this study is that patients are going to have to find a way to fund a study that parallels what was done in Buffalo, even better if some of the same treated patients could be included to assess how well they were actually treated.
It isn't likely that the government or anyone else is going to step forward to do additional research on CCSVI between this study and the COSMOS study which have now "officially" buried CCSVI. Marc and Dr. Sclafani have a bridge to sell anyone who thinks groups like the National MS Society will be putting any more money into CCSVI research.