MS Patients Still Demand Jugular-Vein Procedures Despite Lack of Data

For today: A report from the NY Times, which revisits the dubious idea of stenting jugular veins in patients with multiple sclerosis. According to the paper, interest in the unproven procedure remains fueled by unknown numbers of desperate, logged-on MS patients and a few rogue physicians—some of whom market, in cringe-inducing fashion, a "liberation package."

Oh my ugh.

But neurologist Stephen Hauser of UCSF correctly tells the NYT that evidence for the procedure "is quite scanty" and that its "biological plausibility is low."

Previous posts at this blog highlight 1) a conclusion from US neurologist John Corboy that the small drop in pressure provided by these jugular-vein procedures is unlikely to be pathologically significant; and 2) the correct decision by Stanford to shut down the jugular-stent program of a vascular surgeon until well-controlled data are available to support the treatment.