Further Blows to Controversial MS Theory

The idea that blocked neck veins - a condition dubbed CCSVI - are the cause of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and that removing those blockages - the so-called "Liberation Treatment" - could potentially cure MS has attracted a lot of attention.
Certainly if the theory were to be true, that would be well-deserved attention. But despite the enthusiasm of various levels of government and assorted politicians, the evidence is pointing us in the other direction.
Previous studies have failed to replicate the original findings of Italian surgeon Paolo Zamboni and have cast serious doubt on his theory (more on those studies here) .
Two new studies would appear to further confirm that CCSVI is not the cause of MS. One of them deals with the blockages themselves:

"Our results in this phase of the study suggest that findings in the major veins that drain the brain consistent with CCSVI are uncommon in individuals with MS and quite similar to those found in our non-MS volunteers," said Jerry Wolinsky, M.D., principal investigator and the Bartels Family and Opal C. Rankin Professor of Neurology at The UTHealth Medical School. "This makes it very unlikely that CCSVI could be the cause of MS, or contribute in an important manner to how the disease can worsen over time."

The other recent study is even more significant. It is a clinical trial of 30 MS patients who all underwent the so-called "liberation treatment":

The first controlled clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of interventional endovascular therapy on the symptoms and progression of multiple sclerosis has found that the intervention, sometimes called the “liberation treatment,” which has attracted intense interest in the global MS community, does not improve patient outcomes. In a few cases, the treatment made symptoms worse.

More here and here. To repeat, not only did the surgery offer no benefit, it actually made matters worse for some patients. If the CCSVI theory had any validity, that is not the outcome we would see.
These studies would seem to bolster the conclusion of this damning commentary published recently in the journal Neurological Sciences:

We show that no piece of the CCSVI theory has a solid supportive scientific evidence. The CCSVI appears to be a rather alien condition and its existence should be definitely questioned. Finally, no proven (i.e., based on strict scientific methodology and on the rules of evidence-based medicine) therapeutic effect of the "liberation" procedure (unblocking the extracranial venous obstruction using angioplasty) has been shown up to date.

All of this doesn't necessarily close the book entirely on CCSVI, but let's not forget that there is other encouraging research taking place on causes of and treatment for MS. Let's especially be careful to ensure that the focus on CCSVI isn't taking resources away from this other research.