Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) has been proposed as a cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, two new studies found a very low overall prevalence of definite CCSVI, and no association with MS. The data confirm that the ultrasound findings of CCSVI are extremely variable, subjective, and based on major methodological flaws.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Jim Reekers and Bob van Oosten for their comments and the multiple sclerosis patient for the permission to reproduce her MRI scan in Figure 1.
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F. Barkhof has received consultancy fees from Bayer-Schering, Roche, Merck Serono, Genzyme, Teva, Biogen Idec and Novartis for serving on steering committees, advisory boards and data-safety monitoring committees. M. P. Wattjes has received speaker honoraria from Bayer Healthcare, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis and Biogen Idec.
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Barkhof, F., Wattjes, M. CCSVI deconstructed and discarded. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 661–662 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.228
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.228
