Anyone who follows news in the world of multiple sclerosis knows that a new type of treatment – a surprisingly simple treatment – pioneered by Italian physician Dr. Paolo Zamboni is getting very dramatic results. Dr. Zamboni’s initial study of 65 people with relapsing-remitting MS resulted in a total cessation of MS symptoms within two years for 3 out of 4 patients. The treatment is a simple procedure to unblock restricted bloodflow out of the brain. These study results are doing no less than completely overturning the current understanding of MS; far from being the lifetime sentence of unstoppable nerve degeneration it has long been considered to be, it may be that we are looking at evidence of the promise of a complete cure.
Put simply, Dr. Zamboni’s approach to MS posits that many types of the disease are attributable to a blockage of the pathways that remove excess iron from the brain, and that opening up the major veins for bloodflow could eliminate the cause of MS.
In a fascinating turn of events, Dr. Zamboni’s discovery is actually something of a rediscovery; Dr. Zamboni’s research on the disease was ignited by the mission to cure his wife, whose MS was progressively debilitating, and revealed centuries-old medical texts discussing excess iron as a possible cause of MS. This possibility, combined with the recent finding that a buildup of iron can damage blood vessels in the legs, suggested that a buildup of iron might be damaging blood vessels in the brain and thus the underlying cause of MS.
Further investigation bore immediate fruit – ultrasound revealed that 90% of people with MS have some sort of malformation or blockage in the major veins that route blood from the brain. From here it was a short hop to the hypothesis that iron builds up in the brain, blocking and damaging these crucial blood vessels which, upon rupturing allow iron to penetrate into the cerebro-spinal fluid, where ‘escaped’ immune cells attack the myelin sheathing of the cerebral nerves, causing Multiple Sclerosis.
Zamboni coined the problem as Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency, or CCSVI.
Dr. Zamboni’s wife was the first patient of the vein unblocking operation – a balloon introduced via catheter in the groin (in effect, an angioplasty).
The procedure for treating CCSVI is regarded as fairly standard and very low risk, with immediate as well as longer term results (the doctor’s wife has not has a recurrent MS attack in more than three years since the procedure).
This is an exciting medical advancement and Hospital Angeles Tijuana is proud to be at the forefront of offering the CCSVI treatment in North America. We have begun treating patients in 2010 and now inquiries have begun pouring in from Canada, the UK and the United States.
At Hospital Angeles patients will work with board certified physicians in the subspecialties neuro-intervention and an interventional cardiology, a team that includes a Stanford Fellow and medical device developer for Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson. The hospital itself is widely regarded as medical technology leader. Our accessibility is a great advantage for patients – just 20 minutes from downtown San Diego, we are just a domestic flight away for many Americans.
If you are interested in CCSVI Treatment for MS, please call us toll free at 866 668 9263. We’ll explain the protocol for treatment qualification and arrange a consult with the treatment team. Average medical records transfer, review, approval and treatment time frame is often as little as two weeks given our Case Management and Travel Concierge services.
