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Nonspecific spot on brain? What does this mean

I had a brain mri in September after having right sided weakness, numbness, tingles, and fatigue- the results showed I had a small "nonspecific" spot on the left side of my brain. I also had a series of other tests (c spine mri, EMG, nerve conduction study, and tons of bloodwork) that came back normal. My neuro thinks this spot is not of concern, and given the normal results of the other tests wants me to come back in six months if my symptoms persist. My symptoms have gotten worse since then, and I'm worried about this "non specific" spot- I don't have a dx of anything, but I'm curious to hear if anyone had one or more of these "nonspecific" spots, and what they were told about them- my neuro was very dismissive about mine.
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Avatar universal
Hi could you please read my MRI report ? :)
Helpful - 0
1831849 tn?1383228392
Hi Loopy

Your MRI certainly does not rule MS out. If you haven't scheduled an appointment with a neurologist, preferably on who specializes in MS, I would do so soon.

Kyle
Helpful - 0
667078 tn?1316000935
When do you meet with the neurologist? Is interpretation is what is important. No test rules MS in or out. They go by something called the McDonald Criteria.

Alex
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hello I am new to this site...  I have been suffering from migraines, dizziness, ear pain, muscle aches in my upper body and nausea for months now.  First they thought I had an inner ear issue and was given steroids which didn't help then sent for balance testing which I was then told I had damage in my inner ear and was sent for PT.   That didnt help.  went back to primary who felt it was my migraines but since my symptoms changed she wanted me to see neurologist.   I was sent for an MRI...   results of the MRI are as follows and any help understanding what this mean would be great.

1.  findings may represent demyelinating plaques, however subacute to chronic infarcts cannot be excluded.
2.  lesions noted in posterior fossa or brainstem.
3.  Several T@ bright lesions bilaterally in the supratentorial white matter most being ovoid.
4.  Multiple foci of T2 and FLAIR hyperintensity are seen in the subcortical. The largest measures 7.2 x 4.2 mm and is within the left posterior frontal lobe.
5.  Questionable enhancement noted within the right subcortical parietal lesion
Helpful - 0
2015036 tn?1332997788
Non specific just means that this lesion didn't look specifically like any disease.  There are lots of reasons for non specific lesions to occur- including MS, of course.  Your neurologist still wants to see you, and six months sounds reasonable to me.  This could turn out to be a one time event (I hope so...), but if not, you have time- MS is usually slow (for some, many years- if at all...) to cause disability.

If this is MS, or some other disease- in time, your doctors will be able to see it.  If you have another round of symptoms, before the six months are up- contact your neuro quickly- so he can re- assess.

On the other hand, if you have a bad feeling about this neuro, you should definitely look for another one.  Keep a copy of your MRI's and the reports that came with them.  I also recommend keeping a diary- for you sake, as well as the doctor's.  MS is hard to diagnose  It's not uncommon for it to take a long time for doctors to figure it out.  I recommend getting your next appt with a neurologist that specializes in MS.  An expert will be able to guide you better.  Like Dan said, many times different neurologists will interpret the same tests in different ways- so it's much better to meet with someone who has made MS their life's work.

Hang in there.
Tammy
Helpful - 0
751951 tn?1406632863
In medical jargon, "nonspecific" means that the person dictating the report doesn't know what they are or what they mean.  That's not uncommon, unfortunately, neurology being a quite inexact science frequently.

Mine were said to be "of nonspecific etiology,"to a fancy way of.saying that the radiologist couldn't tell where they came from.  Of course, that means about as much.

Read the health page to which Mummy refers, and keep in mind that "dismissive" is too often a synonym for "neurologist."
Helpful - 0
1983221 tn?1333506185
There are 2 Health Pages on the left hand side of this screen that you may want to read - How MRIs Show Lesions and Can a Person hav a Negative MRI and still have MS.

According to my neurologist I have no lesions in locations associated with MS yet I still have the diagnosis.
Helpful - 0
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