Last November, Dr. Paolo Zamboni claimed to have found a cure or at least improve the plight of people living with multiple sclerosis.
The Italian doctor said that this disease, previously thought of as a neurological and autoimmune disease, was actually due to a narrowing of certain brain veins. He claimed that this could be cured by a simple operation.
In the face of intense enthusiasm brought on by this announcement, Dr. Zamboni preached caution in front of members at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Toronto.
The doctor said that all experiments on the blockage of cerebrospinal fluid and the treatment he has created need more supervision. He adds that nothing has been proven to be effective or safe. He advised that no one undergo such an operation now.
The technique, which unblocks neck veins like heart arteries, began to be offered by Polish clinics. Dr. Zamboni warns that the procedure requires more study before it can be performed safely on humans.
In Canada, an estimated 1,000 new cases of multiple sclerosis are diagnosed each year.