FDA Warns of Potential Dangers From Unproven Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

The FDA has issued an alert about injuries and death associated with an experimental procedure sometimes called “liberation therapy” or the “liberation procedure” to treat chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), a possible cause for multiple sclerosis (MS). The experimental procedure uses balloon angioplasty devices or stents to widen narrowed veins in the chest and neck. However, the FDA has learned of death, stroke, detachment and migration of the stents, damage to the treated vein, blood clots, cranial nerve damage and abdominal bleeding associated with the experimental procedure.