BACKGROUND: It has been recently hypothesised that chronic cerebrospinal venous 
insufficiency (CCSVI) may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of multiple 
sclerosis (MS). The proposed treatment for CCSVI is percutaneous transluminal 
angioplasty, also known as the 'liberation procedure', which is claimed to 
improve the blood flow in the brain, thereby alleviating some of the symptoms of 
MS. Our objective was to determine the effects of percutaneous transluminal 
angioplasty used for the treatment of CCSVI in people with MS.
METHODS: We searched the following databases up to June 2012 for randomised 
controlled trials: The Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the 
Central Nervous System Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL, in The Cochrane 
Library 2012, Issue 5, MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1974) and reference 
lists of articles. We also searched several online trials registries for ongoing 
trials.
RESULTS: Our searches retrieved 159 references, six of which were related to 
ongoing trials. No randomised controlled trials met our inclusion criteria.
CONCLUSIONS: There is currently no high level evidence to support or refute the 
efficacy or safety of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for treatment of 
CCSVI in people with MS. Clinical practice should be guided by evidence 
supported by well-designed randomised controlled trials: closure of some of the 
gaps in the evidence may be feasible at completion of the six ongoing clinical 
trials.