The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that typically affects young adults. A recent publication suggested that MS might originate from insufficient blood drainage in certain areas of the central nervous system. The condition was named chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (C...

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Main Author: Yára Dadalti Fragoso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações 2011-06-01
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2011000400022&lng=en&tlng=en
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author Yára Dadalti Fragoso
author_facet Yára Dadalti Fragoso
author_sort Yára Dadalti Fragoso
collection DOAJ
description Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that typically affects young adults. A recent publication suggested that MS might originate from insufficient blood drainage in certain areas of the central nervous system. The condition was named chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). Other papers have not confirmed these findings and, therefore, the matter remains controversial. Nineteen months after the original publication on CCSVI and MS, another 22 papers have been published addressing the matter. No clinical trials have been carried out on the subject and there is no evidence-based indication to perform surgical vascular procedures in MS patients. However, over the same nineteen-month period, the internet discussion on the subject of CCSVI and MS has led to countless websites advertising treatment using vascular surgery for patients with MS all over the world. The treatment based on the CCSVI theory has appealingly been called "liberation treatment", thus making it difficult to explain to patients why a treatment that has been highly praised (on the internet) cannot be recommended based on partial medical results that await confirmation.
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spelling doaj-art-403f721cd4e8457d9850d98f65b2bc832025-08-20T02:16:27ZengThieme Revinter PublicaçõesArquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria1678-42272011-06-0169352552710.1590/S0004-282X2011000400022S0004-282X2011000400022The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosisYára Dadalti Fragoso0UNIMESMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that typically affects young adults. A recent publication suggested that MS might originate from insufficient blood drainage in certain areas of the central nervous system. The condition was named chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). Other papers have not confirmed these findings and, therefore, the matter remains controversial. Nineteen months after the original publication on CCSVI and MS, another 22 papers have been published addressing the matter. No clinical trials have been carried out on the subject and there is no evidence-based indication to perform surgical vascular procedures in MS patients. However, over the same nineteen-month period, the internet discussion on the subject of CCSVI and MS has led to countless websites advertising treatment using vascular surgery for patients with MS all over the world. The treatment based on the CCSVI theory has appealingly been called "liberation treatment", thus making it difficult to explain to patients why a treatment that has been highly praised (on the internet) cannot be recommended based on partial medical results that await confirmation.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2011000400022&lng=en&tlng=enesclerose múltiplavascularetiologiainsuficiência vascular
spellingShingle Yára Dadalti Fragoso
The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
esclerose múltipla
vascular
etiologia
insuficiência vascular
title The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
title_full The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
title_fullStr The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
title_full_unstemmed The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
title_short The internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence: the case of "liberation treatment" for multiple sclerosis
title_sort internet racing ahead of the scientific evidence the case of liberation treatment for multiple sclerosis
topic esclerose múltipla
vascular
etiologia
insuficiência vascular
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2011000400022&lng=en&tlng=en
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