This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

drsclafani wrote:

cheerleader wrote:Dr. Sclafani and all--
as you know, veins can clot even without a stent. The act of angioplasty and ballooning has inherent risk of damage to the endothelial lining, and stenosis and clotting can occur without a stent. This is a real risk, and something that needs to be fully disclosed and discussed with patients prior to treatment.
I am so sorry to read about these events, but we're coming up on 3-6 months since patients are treated, and this is the time when the endothelial thickening happened in my Jeff and a few others.

Hang in there, Mila and others reporting the same. Good thoughts going out-
cheer

cheer
i think that the best alternative to stenting is a really good angioplasty, using probably larger balloons than most IRs use for standard venous angioplasty because these lesions are resistant to dilatation by the nature of the stenosis, fused valves, stiff collagen in the wall....

Also IRs really need to back off dilating high lesions at the outset. Too many times high ballooning gives disappointing appearance and this leads to stents that may not be necessary.

After my second procedure (by a different IR), I had some moderate improvements which have been sustained. This week I traveled back to the hospital and obtained the medical records for this procedure, and just as I suspected, the IR was extremely conservative in his venoplasty. He ballooned only to 7mm X 20mm, enough to partially re-open the stenosis but not really dilated enough to have the IJV fully functional. I am thankful he didn't use a stent! I seem to recall that he made three attempts at ballooning, then stopped trying.

The exciting news for me is that the partially opened vein seems to be maintaining itself, so maybe two tries are needed to "crack open" the stenosis? I suspect that the stenosis has scar tissue formation from an old neck injury.

I am impatiently waiting for the Ferrari team to resume racing!

Donnchadh

My wife is having the same problems as Mila.

A stent was placed in the right JV on januar 20th in Katowice (Euromedic)

Last week we went for a check-up to dr. Beelen is Aalst (Belgium). The stent is blocked almost completely and dr Beelen told us that re-opening the stent is difficult if not impossible because the clot is to old. He will put my wife on anti-coagulation drugs for the next four months to see what happens.

I've forwarded the diagnose of dr. Beelen to dr.Simka. Dr Simka replied that the blocking of the stent probably isn't the result of clotting but of "intimal hyperplasia". We don't know who of the two dr's is right.

Anyway, I believe Euromedic should reconsider their stenting policy and at least improve their follow-up care is a stent is placed.

Hi Mila,

Please, give us an update on your situation regarding stents. Have you felt improvements following your second procedure? Has your MS progressed? I have done the procedure in July but will go back soon for a check-up as I've expereienced a small relapse in September. The doctor suspects there has been a restenosis and intends to place another stent (I have one in the LIJ and was treated with angio on the RIJ). It is very important for me to know about people with a similar experience.

Best,

Spiff