I feel it is important to include the notes I took from the pre-Congress meeting in Bologna, Monday, September 7, 2009, since they are mentioned above---this is regarding CCSVI PRECEDING an MS diagnosis---
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=130412202210
The origin of Dr. Zamboni’s work in Multiple Sclerosis began when he was a vascular surgeon in Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is noted for its high level of epidemiology in MS in the general population. During 1987-1992, he noted a high prevalence in children with malformations of the jugular veins. His paper on this topic, “So-Called Primary Venous Aneurysms” was published in 1990. He noted AV fistula and a closed ring stenosis that could not be crossed by their blood in these children, external compression and this vascular anomaly appeared to be congenital. 20 years later, 90% of these children he studied have been diagnosed with MS.
Dr. Patricia Coyle of Stony Brook University asks a question-
“How do we diagnose CCSVI?” The first answer comes from Dr. Zivadinov-
Doppler investigation is the beginning. If there is non-direction of flow in any body condition, or continual flow in the opposite direction- CCSVI is implicated. Transcranial doppler in the deep cerebral veins shows reflux. And then it is necessary to locate the stenosis. In MS, the jugular/Vertebral veins flow is consistently subverted. Dr. Zivadinov states that they had tested a 25 year old girl who had come into Jacobs as a control. A healthy girl, who presented with bilateral jugular occlusion. Months later, she had her first CIS attack of MS, and an MRI was done to show two lesions. She also has a familial history of MS. He reiterated that all of the doppler testing was blinded, yet it corraborated CCSVI in MS 100%.
Dr. Dake then stated that he had also tested a relative of a confirmed MS patient. A woman who had not been diagnosed with MS, but who presented at Stanford with jugular occlusion and a variety of neurological deficits, yet no MS diagnosis. She also showed lesion activity on an MRI, and he stented he occlusion the day before he flew to Bologna.
Dr. Simka also reported at ECTRIMS that he sees stenosis is early MS, and he saw no correlation between length of disease of severity of CCSVI. I believe the jury is still out on causation.
