7 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The investigators propose that evidence of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) may be evident in the vasculature of the fundus. The investigators will be examining fundi of multiple sclerosis patients and Ehlers-Danlos patients to see if evidence of CCSVI can be found in these patients having high risk for CCSVI. The investigators will read the fundus photos, compared to age-matched normals in a "blind" fashion.
Patients suspected of CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency) may be tested and if appropriate treated with catheter venoplasty by an interventional radiologist in their local community who has been credentialled either by the local hospital's IRB or a national IRB if the procedure is done in an outpatient facility. Catheter angioplasty is a long-established and accepted medical procedure, patients' insurance should but may not cover the testing or treatment.
Radio graphic and Intravascular (IVUS) Evaluation of Venous Morphology During Chronic Cerebral Spinal Venous Insufficiency Treatment
The study is being done to determine if venous angioplasty is an effective treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). In this condition, areas of narrowing or blockages are present in the internal jugular or azygos veins (veins which drain blood from the central nervous system) and these blockages may be associated with symptoms classically attributed to MS. Therefore, angioplasty may help to improve the symptoms associated with CCSVI and multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, the investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of angioplasty in the treatment of CCSVI by comparing two the outcomes of two groups of patients: one group with CCSVI diagnosed on a venogram and treated with angioplasty and one group with CCSVI diagnosed on a venogram but not treated. The patients enrolled in this study, and the neurologist evaluating patients after the procedure, will not know whether or not they were treated with angioplasty.
This is a single center, multispecialty, randomized double blind placebo control feasibility clinical trial. The purpose is to evaluate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in treating extracranial venous obstructive lesions, and its influence on the clinical outcomes of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients that have been found to have chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).
To establish if there are venous obstructions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders
1. What is the true incidence of CCSVI in patients with MS in a study comparing MRI on MS patients and controls. 2. Are the beneficial outcomes from treatment placebo? By measuring changes in brain perfusion and Cerebrospinal flow before and after the procedure on a large number of patients to determine these outcomes