Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this post, at no extra cost to you.
CCSVI or chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency was coined by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, Director of the Centre for Vascular Diseases at the University of Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy. Basically it is a condition where your venous (veins) system is not able to remove the oxygen-poor blood from your central nervous system or CNS.
The syndrome usually happens in the jugular veins, both internal and external. It can also happen in the azygos vein.
What happens exactly?
Dr. Zamboni found that in all of the MS patients he tested, these veins were malformed in some way. There was either a blockage, stricture, or a problem with the valves not operating properly.
This is not to say that all MSers will have this condition. But according to Dr. Zamboni's small trial, there are definitely a significant number of MSers who share this possible cause of multiple sclerosis. Is this a coincidence? I don't know.
Dr. Zamboni was able to see the vein problems using doppler sonography. He saw, in particular, something called venous reflux, where blood flow from the brain actually went backwards. This caused “bad” blood to be pushed back into the brain. As you can imagine, this is not a good thing.
What happens as a result of this condition?
As a result, there are several things that can happen. One, a condition called hypoxia, is when the body is deprived of oxygen. In this case, the brain, or cerebral hypoxia. This can result in cognitive disturbances and decreased motor control.
Another thing that can happen as a result of this are increased iron deposits in the brain. This accumulation of iron in the brain tissue is thought to be the reason for the little white spots which show up in MSers. Something that every one with multiple sclerosis knows about so well.
Can it be treated? You can find more here.
And unfortunately, there has been a recent update about this treatment. Dr. Zambino - after doing more research - has found that CCSVI is ineffective for treating MS.
<-----Go from CCSVI - Part 1 back to New Cause of MS
<-----Go from CCSVI to What Causes MS
Dear Friends,
"Life in Spite of MS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We're also part of the Ebay Partner Network, another affiliate program."
We'd also like you to know it doesn't cost one cent more when you click through the links here on our blog. Not one single penny. And we will make a little extra cash when you do click through. We'll be ever so appreciative. You also have our word that we'll only link to things that we would use ourselves, (or wish we could have or use).
Sincerely,
Cir & Akrista
You are reading original content written by Akrista or Cir L'Bert of Life in Spite of MS. If you enjoyed reading this blog, please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. See you there!
Privacy Policy ~ Advertising Policy ~ Disclaimer ~ Contact Us ~ About Us
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.