This is a whole new approach for treating the patients with Multiple Sclerosis. In recent days it has become a new hope for millions of Multiple Sclerosis patients across the world. Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a former vascular surgeon and professor at the University of Ferrara in northern Italy developed this procedure while he was trying to understand the underlying causes for the condition which his wife was into ,a Multiple Sclerosis patient.

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) :- First diagnosed in the year 1849, Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a nervous system disease that affects brain and the spinal cord. It is also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata. The disease affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world, causing physical and mental disabilities that can gradually destroy a patient’s quality of life. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body, leading to the symptoms of MS like visual disturbances, muscle weakness, trouble with coordination and balance, sensations such as numbness, prickling, thinking and memory problems etc. Multiple sclerosis affects women more than men. It often begins between the ages of 20 and 40. Usually, the disease is mild, but some people lose the ability to write, speak or walk. MS is five times more prevalent in temperate climates-such as those found in the northern United States, Canada, and Europe-than in tropical regions.

• CCSVI:- CCSVI stands for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency. CCSVI is an ongoing condition where blood from the brain and spine has trouble getting back to the heart. CCSVI is caused by with stenosis (abnormal narrowing of veins) of the jugular veins (veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart ) and azygos veins (carries deoxygenated blood from areas of the chest and abdomen to the heart). Blood takes longer to get back to the heart, and it can reflux back into the brain and spine or cause edema (abnormal accumulation of fluid) and leakage of red blood cells and fluids into the delicate tissue of the brain and spine. This causes a delay in deoxygenated blood leaving the head. This leads to a lack of oxygen in the brain.

• Relation between CCSVI and MS-Dr. Zamboni’s finding:- It all started with the Dr. Paolo Zamboni’s search to find out the root cause of debilitating condition of his wife who was suffering with Multiple Sclerosis. After studying many patients suffering from the same condition, he found that that almost all of them had a abnormal narrowing, twisting or outright blockage of the veins that are supposed to flush blood from the brain. Further Dr. Paolo Zamboni found that whichever patient had this condition, had a high level of deposition of Iron in the brain. Lack of free flow of the blood from the brain possibly explaining the symptoms of MS.

• The Liberation Treatment-Dr. Zamboni’s Invention:- Now the idea was to open up such blocks and allow the free flow of blood through veins from the brain. This is the reason why this procedure is called as Liberation Procedure or Liberation Treatment. This is done in the similar way as it is done in Coronary Balloon procedure. The patient may have single blockage or multiple blockages. Accordingly the treatment is decided.