FDA Alert on Liberation Therapy For CCSVI
Experimental procedure referred to as “liberation therapy” or “liberation procedure” used in the treatment of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration alert list. Health care professionals and patients are being warned about injuries and deaths linked to the use of the procedure.
CCSVI, which causes the veins in the neck and chest to narrow, some researchers believe, may cause multiple sclerosis (MS) or add to the increase chance of getting MS by adversely influencing the blood drainage from the brain and the spinal cord. Studies investigating the connection between CCSVI and MS have been obscure and even the criteria used in diagnosing CCSVI have been questionable and not clearly established.
MS is an immune-mediated disorder of the spinal cord and brain and progresses over time. With MS nerve fibers are damaged in the brain and spinal cord which result in significant disabling neurological symptoms, however the cause of this is unknown.