From Italy, a vascular specialist is concerned with the results of the AISM doppler "COSMO" study of CCSVI--which showed very negative results, and whose leader Dr. Comi, is saying that there is no CCSVI. Dr. Bavera claims that he has noted CCSVI in 90% of the pwMS he tested.

He does not understand why vascular experts were not consulted in the COSMO study.  Here are his words, reported by Mediterranean News and the CCSVI in MS Association in Italy---

http://ccsvi-sm.org/?q=node%2F1701

The opinion of Dr. Bavera on CCSVI study results from COSMO/ Aism

Here the opinion that Dr. Pietro Maria Bavera, Head of Angiology and Vascular Surgery - Fondazione Don Gnocchi Milan, has recently expressed on the results of the COSMO Study. Dr. Bavera has been engaged for years in the study of CCSVI, as evidenced by his first studio "Venous extracranial Duplex ultrasound and possible correlations between CCSVI and multiple sclerosis: an observational study after 560 exams" published in 2011 in Acta Phlebologica and further studies presented at several conferences, in press.

http://www.minervamedica.it/en/journals/acta-phlebologica/article.php?cod=R43Y2011N02A0109

The results of the COSMO study, made with important and consuming energy and valid medicine, were presented Saturday, January 19, 2013 with triumphant tones. Why?

The purpose of the study, as far as can be seen, was to demonstrate the total lack of a vascular anomaly, the well-known CCSVI,  which the whole scientific world and does not cover and discuss, often with specific sessions within Medical Congresses and National and International meetings. Many Specialists in Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology present work, results with important numbers and images alone, which are worth a thousand words, and all agree that the CCSVI exists. But why then do many still deny its existence?

CCSVI, such as disease, or better as vascular anomalies, has always been associated with Multiple Sclerosis, Neurological disease expertise that no one has ever wanted to discredit or deny. As part of this terrible disease, which affects many young people who may well be our children according to age (our doctors), it was found in parallel with a high frequency of vascular abnormalities in vascular drainage system load (ie venous) from 'brain and spinal cord to the system the heart and lungs.

As a  Specialist in Vascular Surgery, University of Milan, one of the most famous and skilled Italian schools with excellent instructors, I have always been dedicated to diagnostic vascular conditions, venous and arterial, and I take care of this since 1982.  CCSVI came into my diagnostic vascular understanding, since mid-June 2010, initially in a mixed state of skepticism and curiosity. Studying this condition is essential, since I have the urge to want to understand and grow as a doctor. To deny a priori is only harmful.

Back in 2007 I published, along with other colleagues, a work about the unusual frequency of deep venous thrombosis in patients with multiple sclerosis, presenting the results in several occasions at international conferences.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640570

Probably those with MS have a predisposition in venous diseases. At this point, the curiosity and desire to understand CCSVI has become an automatic sequence of exams in two and a half years has led me to consider more than 1500 patients, of which just over 600 undergoing angioplasty. Some results of this body of work were presented in October 2012 at the National Congress of the Italian College of Phlebology held in Naples in a session dedicated to this vascular disease.

The results I obtained from these tests, always carried out in the absence of conflicts of interest, have led me to believe that CCSVI is a vascular abnormality present in approximately 90% of patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Not only that, I could see, by direct evidence, that a high percentage of patients could benefit from treatment with angioplasty of specific territories that had venous abnormalities.  Unfortunately, I could also see that the best results occur in thos who have a diagnosis of "young" and proved to be less effective in those situations where the disease had years to do damage.

Personally I do not consider myself a visionary, and I think I can objectively define a "diagnostic expert" and so do I really struggling to understand why the results of my study are diametrically opposed to COSMO and numerous other national and foreign specialists who have results similar to mine, too ' these experts and visionaries. Still I think it is a shame that this impressive study has been carried out without the presence of Vascular Specialists that every rightly should have been, given that it is vascular anomalies.

I still find it harder to understand why so little importance is given to the many testimonies of patients who report having benefited from the "corrections hemodynamic" obtained from angioplasty. Yet these people should have more say and be heard. I find it hard to understand, and with me the many testimonies of the Sick, because a healthy and constructive cooperation between specialists is so complicated, not to say impossible. World science has always had clashes of opinions and disagreements, but I think this time we have missed a golden opportunity. A sin.

Eventually, as is increasingly the case, we will decide that the sick and will (or should have) the last word. Cure is a sacred right and everyone should be able to do where I want, with whoever he wants and, above all, when they need it.

I personally believe that CCSVI exists and is part of a terrible disease such as Multiple Sclerosis, but gradually, you are developing the idea that it is also present in other progressive neurological diseases. The chapter is still open, still a lot of curiosity, the sick are always too many and their quality of life is not sufficiently adequate.

My first question "why?" I think giving a personal response and rather rich, everyone the freedom to interpret it as they see fit in accordance with the work of individuals.

Now we hope to Prof. Zamboni is recognized with equal opportunities to complete the Brave Dreams Study, which unfortunately was delayed. The road is still long, but the "disease" does not wait.

Dr. Pietro Maria Bavera Specialist in Vascular Surgery

Source: Mediterranews.org 

January 21, 2013