images

[Cece]

Sometimes an image is worth a thousand words....

I thought we could use a thread for collecting some of the images useful in understanding CCSVI. I'll start with this one:
http://sfgh.medicine.ucsf.edu/education ... ugular.jpg

It shows the outline of an IJV and other vessels on an actual neck.
Of particular interest is the junction at the base of the jugular, where the internal jugular vein joins with the subclavian vein to become the innominate vein beneath the collarbone. As most here know, the base of the jugular is the location of the IJV valves where a large percentage of CCSVI malformations occur, and it is where my own malformed valves were located on both sides.

Here's another image:
http://www.ajronline.org/content/182/2/ ... nsion.html
It's a mechanical thrombectomy catheter seen in a patient's left IJV. This is an option that your IR has for treating a jugular clot, if one occurs as a complication of a CCSVI procedure. If a clot is allowed to sit, it damages the vein and organizes, making an old clot much harder to treat than a new clot. Some IRs schedule a routine one-month post-treatment ultrasound to check for clots and patency of flow.