What does my MRI mean?

[jeanjean469]

Hi there, i was wondering is someone could read my MRI results and let me know what they think it could be:
Findings: There are scattered small foci of prolonged T2 relaxation in the central and subcortical white matter of both frontal lobes and to a lesser extent the parietal and occipital lobes. these are nonspecific as to the etiology in this age patient. The ventricles and subarachoid spaces appear normal. there is no evidence of hemorrhage, mass, acute infarct or anomoly. There are no gadolinium enhancing lesions. There is scattered mucosal thickening in the paranasal sinuses. The arteries at the base of the brain and the dural sinuses appear patent.
Impression: Scattered nonspecific bilatral supratentorial white matter lesions. Differential diagnosis includes sequelae of vascular headaches adn demelination from multiple sclerosis, although the lesions are not in a pattern that is particularily suggestive of multiple sclerosis.

Anyone have any ideas what this means?

[daisy.girl]

Hi and Welcome to the forum!

white matter lesions are consistent with MS.......

differential diagnosis means the lesions could be from vascular headaches or from MS. That is the radiologists opinion.....however, he is also saying that your pattern of lesions is not specfic to MS.

My lesions are white matter lesions, not particular to MS, with the exception of one small lesion on the corpus callosum. However, my neuro exam and other clinical symptoms led to a dx of MS.

Your neuro will look at all your clinical symptoms, together with the MRI, and any other tests you have had, to come to a decision.

Scattered lesions are not normal. There can be some age related brain lesions.....starting around 60 years of age.

Wishing you the best.

[COBOB]

Enhancement has to due when the lesion forms and for about the next 40 days,  Some lesions cause problems right away.  Other lesions may take their sweet time before causing a symptom.  This is one of the big problems with trying to match lesions to symptoms.   Old lesions can start to act up at any time, ot in some cases the axon within the myelin sheath may be damaged several months after the myelin.  Enhancement is just considered to prove that there is active demyelination in progress.

[jeanjean469]

I will add too that I had the MRI during the numbness so wouldn't it have showed an enhanced lesion if it was MS at that time? THANKS!!

[jeanjean469]

Thank you for the response. My symptoms were numbness in left hand and arm which I  still have after 4+weeks. Then, prior, over a 3 week period, the numbness travelled all over the body to legs (knee and below) and right hand/arm. I was also very tired during that time. Does it sound like MS with my MRI reading?

[COBOB]

It basically means the you have white matter lesions, but they are not oval,  perpendicular to the ventricles or located near to corpus colosum.  It is the radiologists opinion that it doesn't look like MS.  Now, it is up to the neurologist to look at your clinical signs and symptoms, taking the MRI into account the MRI, to make a diagnosis.

While the MRI is important to back up the clinical diagnosis, the examination and history from the patient to establish dissemination in space and dissemination in time for attacks is actually what the diagnosis should be based on according to the Revised McDonald Protocol.