The articles cited was written on 02/09/10. Since then, Dr. Zamboni has stated on numerous occasions that he doesn't believe patients should be treated outside of clinical trials.

Given all that we have learned in the last 12 months regarding the rather high rate of restenosis after balloon venoplasty and complications after the use of stents, my advice (as I've written about on my blog) is that all but the most desperate patient wait for 6-12 months to allow the knowledge base of the doctors doing the procedure to catch up with patient expectations.

Currently, there is little agreement amongst the interventional radiologists doing the procedure as to what size balloons to use, whether or not to use stents, and even what constitutes a treatable stenosis. Additionally, the learning curve for doctors doing this procedure has been acknowledged to be steep, so you certainly want the treating physician to have at least several dozen procedures under his belt to have the best shot at long-term success.

If a patient can find treatment close to home, can get it covered by insurance, and avoids stents, then that might tilt the equation in favor of getting the treatment sooner rather than later. Patients considering traveling very long distances and paying tens of thousands of dollars for this procedure would best be advised to wait for the science to catch up to patient hopes, as we should be learning considerably more about treatment modalities and effectiveness in the coming few months.

I have every confidence that CCSVI will prove to be a major part in the MS puzzle. I chose to undergo an attempted procedure in March, because my condition is declining at an alarming rate, and I very well could wind up bedridden within the next 12 months. If my symptoms were milder, and my disease course not so aggressive, I definitely would have waited on getting the procedure.

Of course, each patient must choose for themselves the course of action that feels right to them…