Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency in MS: More Negative Findings

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is the term applied to the controversial concept of venous blockage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Zamboni and colleagues proposed that CCSVI is the cause of MS and that it is treatable with an endovascular procedure. Investigators sought to replicate the ultrasonography findings described by Zamboni, originally reported in 2009 to be 100% sensitive and 100% specific for MS (J Neurol Sci 2009; 282:21) when two or more of five criteria are present.

Included were 206 patients with MS and 70 controls who were either healthy (11), had cerebrovascular diseases (22), or had other neurological diseases (37). MS patients included all disease subtypes (e.g., relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive). …