Venous Hemodynamics

Understanding venous hemodynamics is of the utmost importance when studying CCSVI.
"CCSVI is not about architecture, it's about flow."
Dr. Paolo Zamboni said this to me when we first met at his international CCSVI conference in Bologna, Italy in September 2009.
He explained that it was not enough to scan the veins, or use MRV technology, or just look for stenosis.  It was essential to understand hemodynamics.

Which is why the knowledge of scientists like Clive Beggs is so important.  As an engineer and Professor of Medical Technology, Professor Beggs has insight into the physics of blood flow.

Highly Recommended Reading----


Venous hemodynamics in neurological disorders: an analytical review with hydrodynamic analysis  
Clive B Beggs
Venous abnormalities contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurological conditions. This paper reviews the literature regarding venous abnormalities in multiple sclerosis (MS), leukoaraiosis, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The review is supplemented with hydrodynamic analysis to assess the effects on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and cerebral blood flow (CBF) of venous hypertension in general, and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in particular.

CCSVI-like venous anomalies seem unlikely to account for reduced CBF in patients with MS, thus other mechanisms must be at work, which increase the hydraulic resistance of the cerebral vascular bed in MS. Similarly, hydrodynamic changes appear to be responsible for reduced CBF in leukoaraiosis. The hydrodynamic properties of the periventricular veins make these vessels particularly vulnerable to ischemia and plaque formation.

Despite conflicting studies, there is increasing evidence that CCSVI is a real physiological phenomenon, and that it is in some way associated with MS. The evidence from CSF-related studies in patients with MS, and the hydrodynamic analysis presented here, suggests that CCSVI causes venous hypertension in the dural sinuses. However, the role that CCSVI might play in the pathophysiology of MS remains unclear, and more work is urgently needed to understand the clinical relevance of this condition.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/142