August 4, 2010
Sask. MS trials to go ahead despite new research, CBC News
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says new research calling into question the effectiveness of an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis won't stop the province from helping to fund clinical trials of the so-called liberation treatment.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says new research calling into question the effectiveness of an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis won't stop the province from helping to fund clinical trials of the so-called liberation treatment.
"There's been a lot of skepticism ... and there still is and even researchers that are already looking at this issue in the province are very realistic," he said.
"They're talking about it looks like the anecdotal information is about 50-50, some significant improvement and no improvement. So I think we knew about that going into it. We know about the skepticism."
The treatment is based on an unproven theory - put forward by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni - that blocked veins in the neck or spinal cord are to blame for MS.
However, new research released this week in Annals of Neurology, a journal published on behalf of the American Neurological Association, suggests not all MS patients have constricted neck veins.
"Other groups found a much smaller number seem to have [constricted neck veins], and that lots of normals appear to have it, and also people with other neurological disease had it," said Dr. Jock Murray, a professor emeritus from Dalhousie University in Halifax and the founder of the school's MS research unit.
"So the question is whether it is a normal variation, and what the relation with MS is, because it doesn't appear to be very specific."
More research needed, Wall says
But that skepticism isn't dampening the possibility of Saskatchewan paying for clinical trials.
The province has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis among provinces, with an estimated 3,500 patients.
Because the liberation treatment is not available in Canada, patients are flocking to clinics in Poland, Bulgaria and India for the surgery, which opens blocked veins.
Wall said he knows there are doubts about the procedure, and that's why more research is needed.
"Shouldn't we answer all the questions, and if the research community ... says, 'You know what, I think we're ready to take the next step and do some clinical trials and answer some of these questions,' shouldn't we be responding to that with the high incidence of MS we have?" he asked.
"I think the answer is yes, we should be funding those trials on cue only from the research community."
Research proposals into liberation treatment are still being worked on, and it could be early next year before the province looks at all of them.
July 19, 2010
UB Neurosurgeons Experimenting with MS Procedures
BUFFALO - Researchers at the University at Buffalo Neurosurgery Department began testing a new procedure last week for treating multiple sclerosis.
The doctors are the first in North America to rigorously study the method. But their research is not without its controversy.
Dr. Adnan Siddiqui is busy these days. Over the last week, he has performed an experimental surgery on ten MS patients in Buffalo.
The procedure comes from a new line of thinking that connects the nerve disease with a narrowing of veins in the chest and neck.
"There's significant amount of data to suggest there may be something," Siddiqui said.
Along with research partner Dr. Elad Levy, Siddiqui is trying to determine if stinting and balooning key veins in MS patients could hold answers for how to better treat the disease.
Some MS sufferers outside the United States have undergone the procedure. But Levy says some in the medical community think even testing it is premature.
He says the first order of business is determining if the procedure is safe.
"There have been complications reported on patients done elsewhere, not here in Buffalo. Therefore, this needs to follow the scientific process. We have not, beyond a doubt, demonstrated that this procedure works," Levy said.
"This is an outside the box idea. There are some very interesting data that have been generated that has caused us to proceed down this path. But it's just an idea at this point," Siddiqui said.
While Siddiqui and Levy say the surgeries have gone well, they will wait a month before disclosing any results.
July 13, 2010
Safemedtrip Introduces Unmatched Customer Friendly Benefits for CCSVI Liberation Treatment in India
CCSVI testing and Liberation Treatment in India.
New Delhi, India, July 10, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Safemedtrip, the leading Medical Travel Facilitation company that has helped a large number of Multiple Sclerosis patients to avail CCSVI Screening and Liberation Treatment at world class hospitals in India has now added more facilities and value benefits to its CCSVI facilitation service. Liberation Treatment invented by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a former vascular surgeon and professor at the University of Ferrara in northern Italy has become a new hope for millions of Multiple Sclerosis patients across the world. Based on extensive research and customer feedback Safemedtrip.com has added a plethora of services and benefits to its CCSVI facilitation program.
1) No Facilitation Fee or Advance Payment required -Safemedtrip never demands any upfront payment for any of the treatment or testing packages offered. Our customers make payments directly to the hospital after admission.
2) Toll Free Helpline – Safemedtrip.com can be reached easily anytime on its US/Canada Toll Free Number: 1-888-771-6965 or International Helpline Number: +91-9899993637.
3) Most Comprehensive and Cost Effective CCSVI Package - CCSVI Testing Package offered by Safemedtrip comprises of advanced testing Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP),Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), MRI Brain, MRV (Magnetic Resonance Venography),Transcranial Doppler, Neck Venous Doppler, Blood Profiling tests and Consultations with specialist doctors. CCSVI Testing and Liberation Treatment Package costs less than 6000 US Dollars including 4 days stay at the hospital where companion can stay with the customer in an air-conditioned hospital room equipped with television, internet facility, electrically operated highly advanced patient bed, food and laundry service, mobile on rental basis, etc.
4) World Class Hospitals in India, Multidisciplinary Clinical Team - Safemedtrip customers are looked after by a leading team of specialists comprising Neurologists, Neuro-Surgeons, Interventional Neuro-Radiologists and experts in Neuromuscular Disorder. These services are backed by a superspecialty hospital’s tertiary care infrastructure that includes advanced Intensive Care Units, Operation Theatres, Blood Bank, Diagnostic facilities and highly skilled multispecialty team of doctors. World’s most advanced technology like high end Doppler Machine, Flat Panel Biplane DSA, Advanced DynaCT, 3D imaging, highly advanced Neuro-Interventional Lab and above all excellent doctors, nurses to patient ratio.
5) Zero Waiting Time, Travel and VISA assistance for faster scheduling of CCSVI treatment
Right from the first contact with Safemedtrip.com on its US/Canada Toll Free Number: 1-888-771-6965 or International Helpline Number: +91-9899993637, the Safemedtrip team gets cracking to coordinate medical opinion from CCSVI expert doctors and arrange hospital appointment without any waiting period. We offer valuable advice on getting Indian Visa on priority and plan air travel.
6) On the ground support in India, where you need it the most – Safemedtrip.com customers get personalised service right from airport pick up by trained Guest Relation Executives, priority hospital admission, appointment bookings, Special arrangements for managing wheelchair patients. Mobile local phone rental, post hospital stay at apartments, hotels nearby the hospital, local commuting by car and even a sight-seeing package to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal for patients and family as desired.
7) Long term support- Safemedtrip customers at the time of discharge from the hospital get a comprehensive discharge summary along with all radiology films, medical reports, CD and all other relevant medical information so that your local doctor can support you after return home. Safemedtrip is also committed to providing prompt co-ordination for follow-up and medical advice from CCSVI doctors over phone and e-mail if required anytime in future.
For more information please check out the following web link.
http://safemedtrip.com/CCSVI-Liberation-Procedure.html
Controversial MS therapy given to N.L woman
Labrador resident travelled to Poland for Zamboni procedure
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 CBC News
A western Labrador woman who travelled to Poland for a controversial multiple sclerosis treatment not available in Canada believes she made the right decision.
Maureen Ayles, of Labrador City, flew to Europe last month for an experimental procedure developed by an Italian vascular surgeon, Dr. Paolo Zamboni.
She paid $15,000 Cdn for the 45-minute procedure to open blood vessels in her neck and hopefully increase blood flow to her brain.
On Tuesday, she told CBC News that it was well worth the cost.
"I can put my hands over my head, something I haven't done in years. I could have a shower. Not only wash my hair, but I could dry my hair with a hair dryer — I haven't done that in four years," she said.
Ayles said MS, a degenerative nerve disease, is taking away her sense of balance, making everyday tasks, such as walking, more difficult.
She learned about the experimental Zamboni procedure while researching her condition.
"I lived on the internet, basically. On Facebook at the This is MS forum and on YouTube where I could find any information," said Ayles.
Zamboni has suggested there is a link between MS and a condition known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).
He believes CCSVI could be a cause of MS, and reported that a procedure to alleviate CCSVI has reduced the symptoms of people with multiple sclerosis.
Canadian society to fund research
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has reacted to Zamboni's research with caution.
The society describes CCSVI as "a hypothetical disruption of blood flow in which the venous system is not able to efficiently remove blood from the central nervous system, resulting in increased pressure in the veins of the brain and spinal cord, which in turn results in damage to these areas."
It is thought the disruption is related to a narrowing of small venous structures in the neck, chest and spine, the society's website said.
Zamboni has revived the idea that this disruption in blood flow and drainage is present in people with MS, and devised an angioplasty-like procedure that involves removing the blockage in the veins that carry blood to and from the brain.
So far, he has performed the surgery, known as "la liberation" in Italian, on more than 120 MS patients, including his wife, whose condition provoked his interest in tackling the disease.
Last fall, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced it will fund research into the link between MS and CCSVI.
Its officials said the decision to fund the research was spurred by the overwhelming interest among Canadian patients in Zamboni's research.
New discovery in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
Is there a breakthrough for MS patients, will they once again resume the life they once knew before MS took its toll and ravaged their body. Researchers certainly hope so. Multiple Sclerosis has long been defined as a degenerative neurological disease with no cure. However, an Italian doctor by the name Dr. Paolo Zamboni, made an amazing discovery. He found that his patients blocked veins in the neck or chest, which were never investigated by researchers before. Could these blockages be responsible for blood shortages to the brain and could the vascular condition be responsible for the lesions in the brain associated with Multiple Sclerosis? Zaboni performed an operation (angioplasty) to unblock the veins and his clients were relieved of their symptoms. The scientific community was skeptical of his findings stating not enough research had been done to back up his claims, however his patients begged to differ. They had gotten their life back as they had it before their diagnosis.
Even though skeptical, scientists around the world are quite interested in the findings and now a new study out of Buffalo, NY adds credence to Zamboni’s findings. They have noted that MS patients are twice as likely to be at risk for blocked veins in the neck chest than none MS patients. These researchers have released the results of the first ever study on a new condition, which they are calling CCSVI, or chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency. Of the 500 subjects, tested in the study by means of ultrasound and MRI brain scans, the MS patients represented 55 per cent of the patients found to have blocked veins in the neck and chest.
Dr. Robert Zivadinov, the head researcher of the University of Buffalo team says these findings are very encouraging. At minimum they show that there is some kind of connection between vascular blockage and Multiple Sclerosis. However, this is the first information to surface from the Combined Transcranial and Extracranial Venous Doppler Evaluation (CTEVD) study completed in April 2009. The data is still being analyzed and will be presented to American Academy of Neurology meeting in April 2010.
There are still questions left unanswered such as why do non Multiple Sclerosis patients also have blocked veins, but this new screening for CCSVI will help to shed more light on the effects of the lesions associated with Multiple Sclerosis. The team is planning a second study with 500 different patients to add to their knowledge on this new break through finding.
The MS Society of Canada says the findings are interesting but reserve their comments until the study has gone through peer review. However, Dr. Paul O’Connor does say that it is important to note that not all MS patients have acquired CCSVI and so getting overly optimistic at this point in time would be premature. There are multiple factors involved in MS and he also notes that it is interesting that even none MS patients have the CCSVI condition as well. This shows that much more research must be conducted before any conclusions can be made.
Nevertheless, this new study is spurring interest and researchers at the University of British Columbia Hospital MS Clinic, and McMaster University doctors in Hamilton, Ontario will be doing further studies as well.
The MS Society of Canada will also help to fund the studies in order to further the research on Multiple Sclerosis and its treatment.
MS is the leading neurological disease for young people in Canada.
