Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a vascular specialist at the University of Ferrara in Italy, exploded on the world with a new theory linking poor blood drainage from the brain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This theory is contrary to the widely held belief that the condition is neurological in nature. Researchers at SJHH are working at testing Dr. Zamboni’s theory.
An estimated 55,000 to 75,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis, a degenerative condition that can cause loss of balance, heat sensitivity, impaired speech, extreme fatigue, double vision and paralysis. Dr. Zamboni’s research has called for the use of balloon angioplasty in MS patients, and in a December 2009 paper, his team noted improvements on a standard scale of MS symptoms in a group of 65 MS patients. However, critics have noted that a placebo effect may have skewed the studies’ data, as no control group was used and patients were aware of their treatment. The hypothesis, termed “chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI)” has indeed ruffled some feathers. “This is not unusual in science when there is a new hypothesis. The establishment tends not to embrace it immediately.” The statement from Dr. Ian Rodger, Principal Investigator for the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Study, came at a February press con- ference, on the heels of Dr. Paolo Zamboni’s arrival in Canada to discuss his theory.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare is one of only a few sites in Canada attempting to test Dr. Zamboni's theory. ”This is a watershed moment,” Dr. Rodger said. “Opportunities like this don’t come along very often. ”The study will match 100 MS patients from Hamilton’s MS Clinic at the McMaster University Medical Centre with 100 healthy control patients to determine the prevalence of CCSVI in both groups. The interest from the MS community has been understandably intense with hundreds enquiring how they could gain entry into the study. Although the outpouring of emotion and hope has been tough for the team to handle, the group has contacted each of the patients personally. “We feel an obligation to get back to these people,” said Dr. Rodger. “A lot of patients would love to be part of the study, but from the standpoint of scientific rigour, you have to do the selection randomly otherwise bias can come into the data you may generate.”
Dr. Rodger and his team have always remained realistic about the treatment possibilities of Dr. Zamboni’s work: “I don't think anybody’s claiming that CCSVI is the cause of MS," he said. “I think there is going to be more than just that ... I think autoimmune components and CCSVI, and probably some things we haven’t yet discovered, may all be part and parcel of the etiology of the disease. However, if Zamboni’s right — and that’s what we're all trying to prove — then some people may very well benefit from having his surgical intervention,” he said. “I don’t think it will be every MS patient, but even if a quarter of people with a certain category of disease could be helped, that's still an unbelievable opportunity.”
http://www.stjoes.ca/media/Res%20Admin/Innovator_Annual_Report_2011-web.pdf
