FDA Issues CCSVI Treatment Warning

On May 10, 2012, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about experimental therapies aimed at treating chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). This is a complex condition involving changes in blood flow from the brain back to the heart, caused by the twisting or collapse of certain veins located on the outside of the brain. Some researchers theorize that CCSVI could be related to MS.

In their press release, the FDA warns healthcare professionals and patients about injuries and deaths that have resulted from these experimental procedures (sometimes referred to as “liberation therapy” or the “liberation procedure”), involving the use of balloon angioplasty devices or stents to widen narrowed veins in the chest and neck. Please see MSAA’s CCSVI Update for more information on this condition, MS, and experimental treatments.