On Thursday, March 10th, Dr. Kirsty Duncan hosted a breakfast for MP’s and Senators on the subject of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) and multiple sclerosis (MS).
Interventional radiologists at recent conferences have suggested that roughly one-third of people treated have shown at least short term significant benefit (e.g. improvement in brain fog, circulation, fatigue and motor skills), and another one-third, some benefit. Longer term outcomes remain to be investigated.
Over the past year, Dr. Duncan have been personally in touch with over 1,000 MS patients across Canada; of those, over 270 have now been treated. The breakfast provided an opportunity to hear patients’ experiences before, during, and after venous angioplasty. Invited Guests
Dr. Bill Code
-he was diagnosed with secondary progressive MS in 1996, which ended his career as a clinical anaesthesiologist; he has 30 years of medical experience including stroke and brain research
-following venous angioplasty, his brain fog, cognitive challenges and headaches ‘virtually stopped’, and his fatigue is much reduced
Steve Garvie
-he was diagnosed with secondary progressive MS 12 years ago, was living in government housing (SCAPD), and was approved for an electric wheelchair before venous angioplasty, which removed his bladder problems, debilitating fatigue, numbness of his left hand, etc.
-today, he is no longer in government housing, walks with a cane, works full time, and ‘has his life back’
Vito Maltese
-he is the father of Matthew Maltese (age 27), who was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in June of 2000 at the age of 16; for 10 years his son worsened, and eventually lost all the feeling in the left side of his body from the top of his head to the bottom of his foot
-following venous angioplasty, almost full sensation returned to his left side, fatigue virtually stopped, and he has not had another MS attack
Background
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with between 55,000 and 75,000 Canadians living with the disease. MS is a devastating, unpredictable disease, which affects balance, hearing, memory, mobility and vision. Its effects are physical, emotional and financial – and they last a lifetime. MS steals futures from families, and there is no cure.
While, MS has been largely recognized as an autoimmune disease, a new theory suggests that MS may, in fact, be caused by CCSVI, which is a narrowing of the veins in the chest, neck and spine that does not allow for the efficient removal of blood from the brain. As a result, blood leaks into the brain, it is thought, depositing iron, which triggers an immune response.
A procedure known as venous angioplasty opens up veins. Many MS patients who have had this procedure report an improvement in ‘brain fuzziness’, circulation, mobility and, over time, a marked improvement in the quality of life.
Over 12,500 of these procedures have been performed in over 50 countries, and (2) Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, Kuwait, Poland, and the United States report that 87 to 90% of MS patients show one or more venous abnormalities (by MRI/ultrasound by a trained operator), and 97% when angiography is done.
Any delay in clinical trials possibly means more damage; the earlier MS is caught, the better the prognosis. For some patients a delay of a matter of months may mean the difference between working and not working, walking and not walking, living on their own or in care, or living and not.
http://kirstyduncan.liberal.ca/release/kirsty-duncan-hosts-parliamentary-breakfast-on-ccsvi/