MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (January 17, 2011) Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may get some relief from severe fatigue from an experimental procedure to open blocked blood vessels in the chest and neck, suggests preliminary Stanford University research being presented at the 23rd annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).

Doctors used either angioplasty or stents to open blocked veins of 30 MS patients. One year out from treatment, they suffered about half the fatigue, on average, that they had suffered before the treatment. Patients with the most common type of MS had the greatest benefits.

The current research and results are being presented by Michael Dake, M.D., Thelma and Henry Doelger Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif. Stanford and the Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, plan to begin a blinded, randomized, controlled trial in 2011 to assess the condition and treatment with angioplasty. “If a person has MS and has a blood vessel obstruction, and if it’s removed, we will look at whether we can we demonstrate objectively that there is improvement in blood flow” Dr. Dake said.

The ISET meeting will feature several presentations on CCSVI as a cause of multiple sclerosis and its treatment with angioplasty and stenting. Among the featured speakers are Paolo Zamboni, M.D. of the University of Ferrara, Italy, a vascular surgeon who first proposed and is now testing the theory. Also speaking: patient advocates, skeptics, U.S. and Canadian doctors who provide the therapy, and James F. Benenati, M.D., president of the Society of Interventional Radiology, who will address the organization?s position on the subject.

About 400,000 Americans are affected by MS, which can be extremely debilitating, causing a variety of problems ranging from numbness and blurred vision to extreme fatigue and paralysis. The symptoms can come and go or become progressively worse.

Dr. Zamboni theorizes that abnormal blood flow can damage the nervous system and lead to MS. He reported initial results in 2009, suggesting the existence of CCSVI and that endovascular treatment relieved some MS symptoms and improved quality of life in certain MS patients. No U.S. studies have been published.

The International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) is attended by physicians, scientists, allied professionals and industry professionals from around the world. The meeting pioneered the use of live cases to promote the multidisciplinary treatment of cardiovascular disease. ISET is presented by Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami. ISET 2011 is taking place Jan. 16-20 in Miami Beach, Fla. For more information, visit www.ISET.org.