Editor’s Choice
June 2014
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Patients with MS and healthy controls underwent catheter venography to study whether stenoses and/or insufficiency affecting the azygous and internal jugular veins were related to the disease. There were no differences in the presence of stenoses and/or chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency between the 2 groups and thus the authors state that their data exclude a direct correlation between these anomalies and MS.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Hypothetical correlation between chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency and MS has gained the attention of patients and the scientific community. Studies performed by echo-color Doppler ultrasonography have shown different results, and it is necessary to use more objective diagnostic techniques. The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of stenoses affecting azygos veins and internal jugular veins by use of venography in patients with MS.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We recruited 2 groups of subjects who underwent venography: the study group included 29 patients with MS and the control group included 15 healthy volunteers. The ileo-lumbar plexus, the azygos, and the internal jugular veins were selectively catheterized. We considered any cross-sectional area reduction of the venous lumen >50% to be a significant stenosis. Furthermore, blood pressure was measured in the studied vessels at the stenotic internal jugular veins.
RESULTS
Selective venography showed at least 1 significant venous stenosis in 84% of subjects examined, without significant difference between the study group and the control group. Positive venography chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency patterns were found in 50% of all subjects examined, without any significant difference between the 2 groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis failed to assess any significant association between the presence of a positive venography and MS condition. The difference between the median blood pressure of stenotic and nonstenotic internal jugular veins was not statistically significant (P = .46).
CONCLUSIONS
Our data exclude any direct correlation between chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency and MS because venous abnormalities were equally present in both groups.
