Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI)
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a condition in which the normal drainage from the brain and spinal cord by the veins is impaired, due to the veins being narrowed. As a result, the blood flow may back-up into the brain and spinal cord. In 2009, Dr. Paolo Zamboni from the University of Ferrara in Italy published data that supported his idea that CCSVI might contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), with the hypothesis that the impairment in blood flow might lead to the inflammation seen in MS. In Dr. Zamboni’s studies, all of the patients with MS also had CCSVI.1
Subsequent studies
Subsequent studies have failed to find a connection between CCSVI and MS. There is now a growing body of evidence that suggests CCSVI is not linked with MS.2,3 In addition, there is controversy over how CCSVI is diagnosed. The diagnostic criteria set out by Dr. Zamboni are nonspecific and may account for people being diagnosed who actually don’t have anything wrong. The criteria were not based on validated methodology, and numerous groups that used the criteria from Dr. Zamboni found no evidence of CCSVI in people with MS.4
