Dr. Zamboni is a vascular doctor at the University of Ferrara in Italy. In his studies, he came upon a unique situation to MS patients, a reflux of their brain/spinal blood. His team initiated a new study, based on his previous observations, was published December online Dec. 5th by JNNP.
The breakdown: 65 clinically defined MS patients and 235 controls (including healthy patients and those with other neurological disorders), blindly underwent a combined transcranial and extracranial Color-Doppler high-resolution examination (TCCS-ECD) aimed at detecting at least two of five parameters of anomalous venous outflow, blood flowing up and down the same vessel. (venous insufficiency seen by the eye are varicose veins on the legs.)
Zamboni's team found that in 100% of the patients with MS, and in 0% of the controls, something was blocking the blood vessels near the brain and/or spine (the jugular vein and the azygous vein), creating a reflux situation. They could see this in color on the doppler. Reflux is when blood cannot pass by an obstruction. This distends blood vessels, and allows for leakage. This reflux happened in MS patients, not the controls, no matter what position they were on the tilt board.
Zamboni's team found that the majority people with RRMS had blockage in the extra and intracranial area, and that those with PPMS had blockage in veins along the spinal column.
CCSVI, Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency, appeared only in patients with MS. None of the other neurologically diseased patients had this pattern
Zamboni does not define these blockages, or posit what these "venous obstructions" are, but they are in the blood vessels, and they are hampering the correct flow of blood in people with MS.
Immune modulating therapy did nothing to change vessel lesions or reflux bloodflow
