what does everyone think of this?

[Jasmine]

I was just given this info from a Consultant radiologist in the uk on ccsvi:

"I am suspicious of the syndrome. Anyone with heart failure, pericardial
constriction or superior vena cave obstruction would have restriction of
venous return and yet no neurological symptoms occur. Also the azygos
vein actually drains the lower body so could not account for cranial
problems." So this does put some doubt on the whole idea. Also he drew my attention to the motivation behind some private practises and if they are honest.

What does everyone think about this?

[shye]

I know when i had my MRI, which showed head but not spinal lesions, there were two possiblitites raised by the radiologist: MS or cardiovascular problem (can't find my report, will get a copy next week from my doctor, and will post the exact wording then). And note this MRI done with NO awareness on part of anyone of Zamboni's work.
I do know my dr then ran all the blood tests necessary to rule out cardiovascular, and then I was sent to MS clinic--which ruled MS on evidence of history and the MRI's.
This would seem that this could be along the lines of what your radiologist is suggesting--but that Zamboni has gone a step further somehow in connecting the dots. I am not proficient enough in full understanding of CSVI, so can't give you the dots.
Did your consultant radiologist fully read the Zamboni information?

[CureIous]

I was just given this info from a Consultant radiologist in the uk on ccsvi:

"I am suspicious of the syndrome. Anyone with heart failure, pericardial
constriction or superior vena cave obstruction would have restriction of
venous return and yet no neurological symptoms occur. Also the azygos
vein actually drains the lower body so could not account for cranial
problems." So this does put some doubt on the whole idea. Also he drew my attention to the motivation behind some private practises and if they are honest.

What does everyone think about this?

I'd say he hasn't done much homework on it, but his comments are noted for the record. Does every person with heart failure NOT have MS also? That statement alone cries foul. This also doesn't account for the number of people with completely missing veins who develop MS. That oddity alone should spur someone's curiousity to delve further. I hope he does just that too and keeps an open mind as the evidence begins to pour in. When one reads of spinal lesions that correspond to stenosis locations its just hard not to dig further... Anyways his last statement about financial motivations is about as baby out with the bathwater as you can get. Thanks for posting, it's interesting to hear across the spectrum what's going on in different places...

Mark

Edit: Wanted to expand on that a bit further:

Here you have azygous stenosis and corresponding lesion in the spinal cord from the Zamboni paper: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/80/4/392.full

Keep in mind that is the same person showing AZY stenosis, and straight across in the spinal canal, a lesion.
According to the prelim study by Zamboni which we quote frequently until bigger studies come out, 90% of the "type D" people with PP type MS, had Azygous involvement. Some of the RRMS people had Azy involvement, but they ALSO had jugular stenosis much closer to the head. Location location location! So AZY stenosis, according to Zamboni's research, nearly always led to PPMS. (And I say that in the subjects tested not as an absolute to all mankind!)

[Johnson]

Mark - curiosity about anything at all seems a cold commodity anymore.