MS Trust welcomes further research into CCSVI

09 February 2010

A number of trials are planned looking at the theory that blocked veins may be a contributory factor in multiple sclerosis.

The theory is that blockages to blood vessels affect blood draining from the brain, a condition known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). This causes leakage of iron into the central nervous system, leading to MS symptoms.

Interest is particularly high in north America following a visit to St Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Canada by Prof Paolo Zamboni, the Italian doctor who developed the theory. At the meeting Prof Zamboni reiterated that he has never proposed that CCSVI is the sole cause of MS but challenged other researchers to follow up his work to better understand the implications of his observations.

Prof Zamboni's studies identified CCSVI as occurring in people with MS but not in healthy controls or people with other neurological conditions. He also found that surgery to unblock veins led to people experiencing fewer relapses than before the operation.

Further, larger studies are planned in Canada and the USA to better understand the condition and its association with MS. The first of these, in Buffalo, is due to report interim findings shortly.

Prof Zamboni's studies pose interesting questions about MS and the MS Trust supports any further research that helps to answer these questions. We would suggest caution in considering surgery based on what is still a theory that requires further investigation.