2 research outputs found
Prevalence of extracranial venous abnormalities: results from a sample of 586 multiple sclerosis patients
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of
chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in an unselected
cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
A total of 586 patients with clinically defined MS underwent
catheter venography of the internal jugular veins, brachiocephalic veins and azygos vein. The following
findings were regarded as pathologic: no outflow,
slowed outflow, reversal of flow direction, prestenotic
dilation accompanied by impaired outflow, outflow
through collaterals, intraluminal structures obstructing
the vein, hypoplasia, agenesia or significant narrowing
of the vein.
Venous abnormalities were found in 563 patients
(96.1%). Lesions in one vein were found in 43.5%, in
two veins in 49.5%, and in three veins in 3.1% of patients.
Venous pathologies in the right internal jugular
vein were found in 64.0% of patients, in the left internal
jugular vein in 81.7%, in the left brachiocephalic vein in
1.0%, and in the azygos vein in 4.9%.
Venous pathologies were found to be highly associated
with MS, yet the clinical relevance of this phenomenon
remains to be establishe