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Saturday, November 13, 2010 7:30 PM
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Ken Torbert
Following the very successful conference on CCSVI, we are now working
our way through the waiting list for the CCSVI angioplasty procedure.
The Edinburgh Clinic is an excellent venue for these procedures with a
fully equipped vascular theatre with imaging equipment suitable for
CCSVI treatment.
The clinic has excellent disabled access from the car park and there is a lift to the upper floor where the operating theatre is located. One
issue which has arisen is temporary difficulty with access to the
theatre for patients with limited mobility. There are five stairs to be
negotiated from the lift to the theatre and although a ramp has been put
in place, the angle of descent is too great for safe passage of a
wheelchair. A platform lift will be installed during the Christmas break
which will solve this problem. It does mean however that patients with
severe mobility difficulties will not be listed for the procedure until
after this installation is complete. We appreciate that this will
disappoint some patients but hope you understand that safety is of
paramount importance.
Consequently we are offering appointments to patients who can safely use the existing facilities and therefore not following the list of
scanned patients in strict chronological order. Everyone who has a
positive scan and wants to have the procedure will be offered a place
when the new arrangements are in place. It is important to bear in mind
that fitness for the actual procedure will be determined at the
pre-operative assessment with the anaesthetist and surgeon. Already one
proceure has had to be delayed due to a medical problem. Medical fitness
for a procedure is vital to the success of the treatment; which can
last over two hours. Patients must be able to lie flat for that period of time and the anaesthetist will make the final decision on fitness.
The Edinburgh Clinic is not an inpatient facility, so patients will have to make arrangements to stay nearby for at least
three days. The surgical team will carry out a pre-operative assessment
as described and also a post operative check the day after the
procedure. These appointments are an important part of CCSVI treatment
in the UK and are a requirement of the surgical team.
For some time we have been looking for suitable premises in the South of England for scanning and treatment. We have now identified such
premises within a well established vascular clinic in Surrey. This has
excellent disabled access and is all located on the ground floor. We
plan to commence scanning in the new year at this site but it would be
very helpful if you would prefer a scan at this site, to let us know by
email. We will then mark our list accordingly. We have no plans at
present to offer the intervention procedure at this second location.
Please do not phone the clinic as we are still experiencing high volumes
of calls.
We are in touch with colleagues internationally on potential research collaborations and on the formation of a European Society for CCSVI.
These contacts will be crucial in developing the case for CCSVI to
become a standard treatment for MS in the UK and beyond. We have also
had numerous contacts regarding research possibilities within the UK and
will be exploring these in the coming months. Good quality research on
treatment outcomes is vital for development of CCSVI in the UK.
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