1. SIR recognizes the urgent need for more effective treatmentd for MS patients and the public's interest in rapidly making such therapies available to this patient group.

2. SIR recognizes that patients with MS constitute a particularly vulnerable population, whose safety must be protected as new therapeutic approaches are evaluated.

3. At present, the SIR considers the published literature to be inconclusive on whether CCSVI is a clinically important factor in the development and/or progression of MS, and on whether balloon angioplasty and/or stent placement are clinically effective in patients with MS.

4. Interventionalists possess the ideal skill set to provide interventional MS therapy with maximum safety and effectiveness when clinically appropriate.

5. SIR strongly supports the urgent performance of high-quality clinical research to determine the safety and efficacy of interventional MS therapies, and is actively working to promote and expedite the completion of the needed studies.

A Position Statement by the Society of Interventional Radiology, endorsed by the Canadian Interventional Radiology Association:

 

http://www.sirweb.org/news/newsPDF/SIR_MSstatement_JVIR.pdf