Stem cell therapy in Germany

Stem cell therapy in Germany

Chronic Cerebro Spinal Venous Insufficiency CCSVI based on the close spatial relationship of demyelinization plaques and venous vessels was postulated as early as the 1980s and a link between the disorder of the venous outflow in the brain and back marks the development of MS. The hypothesis of a chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency was developed in recent times by Dr. Paolo Zamboni. Also a link between MS and the occurrence of Doppler detected venous valve insufficiency has been reported.

The reason for this was often a stenosis (narrowing) of the vena azygos (chest cavity) or the internal jugular vein (neck), which dam up the flow of blood from the brain and upper spinal cord. This backflow results in edema of the cerebral veins. The blood-brain barrier is also affected. This constriction of blood vessels prevents blood flowing quickly enough, causing autoimmune inflammation which damages the brain and the protective myelin nerve coating. Widening of the stenotic (narrowed) veins increases the blood flow through them, thus, relieving the back-pressure and eliminating the inflammation, which is causing the damage to the brain and protective myelin. CCSVI Treatment – Liberation Angioplasty Liberation Angioplasty – X-ray scanning is used to guide a balloon-tipped catheter into the affected jugular vein(s). Once the catheter reaches the target area, the balloon tip expands to widen the stenotic area. This procedure takes about 90 minutes. Afterwards, the patient will spend approximately 4 hours in the recovery room to ensure that the entry site is not bleeding.

Stem cells treatment After the Angioplasty, the brain needs stem cells to repair the effected area which has been damaged.

– Bone Marrow Collection ( BMC ) A small amount of adult autologous bone marrow stem cells are extracted from the patient’s bone marrow. Generally the pelvic bone is punctured for this. This is performed under local anesthesia. Upon request you can be given a sedative (injection) prior to the procedure. With a needle a small amount of bone marrow is taken from the pelvic bone. In order to prevent infections the procedure takes place under sterile conditions. The local anesthetic can hardly be felt. The extraction of the bone marrow with the needle often causes brief pain. Generally a longer persisting pain does not occur.

– Lumbar puncture A lumbar puncture is a puncture of the spinal canal using a fine needle, beveled at the front, in the lumbar region (lowest vertebrae of the back) of the spinal column for extracting spinal fluid (nerve or cerebral fluid). The extracted fluid, which is usually clear like water, in such cases is then examined in various ways in the laboratory. During the LP for the stem cell therapy a volume of spinal fluid is extracted that is equivalent to the volume of your own stem cells intended for transplantation, so as little pressure difference as possible occurs in your spinal fluid space. Changes in the pressure of the spinal fluid can cause headache. This pain is not dangerous and rarely lasts longer than 1 – 2 days, but the pain can be uncomfortable especially when getting up from a horizontal position due to the changing pressure ratios. In order to prevent complaints due to the loss of spinal fluid as much as possible you are advised to lie down – if possible – for 24 hours and to drink plenty of fluids.