CCSVI is an acronym which stands for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency. In short, the jugular veins, running in the neck, and the azygous vein, located in the thoracic and abdominal cavities, are blocked and fail to eliminate and to drain efficiently the blood loaded of toxins from the brain and spinal cord.
How is it diagnosed CCSVI?
CCSVI can be diagnosed by non-invasive test called a Doppler ultrasound, following a specific protocol performed by qualified and properly trained. The research has been going on in the coming years and expect further improvements in diagnostics. The latter include MRV and cervical plethysmography.
Where can one be subjected to non-invasive diagnosis of CCSVI?
The Foundation Hilarescere recommends the services of operators who have been specifically trained. It also recommends to require operators to show the Diploma of Master or Postgraduate Course released by the University of Ferrara, institutional forum where the operators were trained. The University of Ferrara and the University Hospital of Ferrara can not issue for privacy lists of trained operators. The Foundation suggests not to trust operators that show photos, or simply tell of periods of training at the University of Ferrara in the absence of official certifications.
Finally, the diagnosis may be required in centers with official
Collaborations with the Foundation Hilarescere.
Studies on treatments for CCSVI
It has been experienced endovascular treatment whose positive results have been
published in a pilot study of 65 patients.
Were later published a second and a third study, in collaboration with the University of Buffalo (New York) that have demonstrated improvements with blinded advanced magnetic resonance imaging after treatment with venous angioplasty. In addition, in a
study aimed at studying the results obtained previously, promoted by the Azienda Ospedaliera - University of Ferrara with the support of 'Health and Social Care Agency of Emilia Romagna, designed with the highest level of evidence possible in Medicine.
What does it mean BRAVE DREAMS?
Literally means BRAVE DREAMS. It is really the achronymus for Brain Venous Drainage Exploited Against Multiple Sclerosis.
How to participate in the trial?
At the centers identified for Brave Dreams trial patients eligible for the study have been selected. The entrance to the therapeutic trial was carried out through a clear and transparent, with all the facilities and ethical guarantees that this requires. Only patients followed for at least two years by one of the centers can be included. This means that you can not migrate from one center to another MS in order to enter the trial.
Useful advice for patients
We recommend not to show up directly in the offices or in the wards and operating theaters of the Surgical Clinic of the University Hospital of Ferrara in order to obtain benefits other than pursuant to and from those reported in Ospfe web site (LINK OSPFE). What you can not do at this time can not become possible when it is presented to us in person. The only effect it has is to slow down the activity and the work that the staff is producing very hard to move forward with the knowledge and experimentation. The final arrival point is precisely that instead of reaching with the benefits many people as possible.
There are other tests as well as ethical Brave Dreams?
In general, the Foundation recommended to rely at this stage to groups that perform experiments ethically protected, even better if they occur in
scientific centers in collaboration with the Foundation Hilarescere.
Angioplasty may be useful in other neurological diseases (ALS, infantile paralysis, cerebellar ataxia)?
Initial studies that have been conducted not appear to support this hypothesis. However, research continues to not completely rule out a role of the cerebral venous system in other diseases of the central nervous system.
