At the conclusion of the symposium organized by the European Charcot Foundation - as part of the 26th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis - the expert comments on the debate
The statements made by Prof. Paolo Zamboni on CCSVI
(ANSA) - GOTHENBURG, Oct. 14 - ''Our position is very clear, we do not study to validate the angioplasty itself as to whether this technique for the treatment of venous insufficiency CCSVI chronic cerebro-spinal may be useful to people with multiple sclerosis.'' Said Paolo Zamboni, director of vascular diseases at the University of Ferrara, on the occasion of the International Congress ECTRIMS (The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis), entirely dedicated to Multiple Sclerosis, being held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
''The message to give to patients - said Zamboni - is what we should not wait for a cure for the disability. We observed that there are some signs of improvement in the quality of life, for example in chronic fatigue or memory loss. We, at most, we help to prevent disabilities, through this treatment in addition to drug therapy is not interrupted. It scares me to think that the message that angioplasty can cure the disability."
The Director of the Centre of Ferrara based his belief in a correlation between the CCSVI and multiple sclerosis, the results of its pilot study in which 300 people were enrolled, including 65 with multiple sclerosis. These 65 patients were treated with angiolastica and after 18 months in cases of relapsing-remitting disease, there was a significant reduction in relapses. But, warns Zamboni, consider that a pilot study "is like a survey that gives some information to figure out whether to go ahead or stop and to understand the scope of a future champion, in a subsequent study, to confirm and, if valid conclusions the pilot study.'' (ANSA).
At the same venue Prof Zamboni said even that will start in about a month a study into the effectiveness of the treatment of CCSVI, conducted at the Center for Vascular Diseases, University of Ferrara and approved by the Region Emilia Romagna. One month is the time it takes the ethics committee of Ferrara to begin the trial.
The protocol will be 'controlled trial'. Half of the patients, which at present is not known how many total will receive the experimental treatment using the method Zamboni, while the other half will serve as the control group did not receive the experimental treatment, but only the diagnostic test. The allocation will be done randomly, and patients are not aware of the type of treatment.
The statements on CCSVI Giancarlo Comi
(ANSA) - GOTHENBURG, Oct. 14 -''The CCSVI is not the cause of multiple sclerosis''and on this conclusion, which the experts have come together in the session dedicated to this disease, the International Congress ECTRIMS,''even Paul Zamboni argued.'' Now''we avoid creating a new case of Bella, we already had one and it is enough.''
These are the words that Giancarlo Comi, a neurologist at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan said the debate raised by the hypothesis formulated by Zamboni, the correlation between autoimmune disease and cerebro-spinal chronic venous insufficiency, observed by surgeon in some patients.
It is quite clear''that there might be some association with the disease - Comi added - but not causal, then it is the task of future studies to ascertain the truth. Creates great expectations among all the Italian multicenter dall'Aism funded, which will be recruited for the 2 thousand people.''
According Comi, at this time''there is no room for therapy, it would be crazy because of this condition narrowing of the jugular veins is present in one fourth of normal people. We should cure us all?''.
The neurologist, then shares the opinion of the recent National Health Council:''you must first determine whether there is any relationship but I think never, never will be operations for this reason.''
Given the large number''of patients involved, the study AISM - concluded Comi - put an end to the controversy, but already the data we have are very clear. And then the Ccsvi was also found in other neurological diseases. The cause-effect relationship does not exist, now no longer supports him.''(ANSA).
14/10/2010
Translated from:
http://www.aism.it/index.aspx?codpage=2010_10_comi_zamboni_ansa