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Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: MS or Vasculitis? I have been seeing a neurologist for many months now for these symptoms: numbness in hands,feet,ear, tongue, thigh; pain in lower back and right thigh; dizziness, urinary frequency/hesitancy;cognitive problems, i.e. memory, word finding; flashing lights that leave blind spots in my vision. We discuss MS and he says before MRI my diagnosis would have been possible MS, (my MRI showed no lesions). But when I leave his office I notice that he writes "vasculitis" as the diagnosis on my treatment slip. We never discuss vasculitis, but from what I read on the internet, it is not something that should be "watched", it should be treated. I know that you cannot read his mind and tell me why he writes this, and it is a shame I only notice it after I leave, but would vasculitis cause the above symptoms and should I be concerned enough about the possibility to seek treatment elsewhere. My neurologist seems to be taking the "wait and see" approach that is described as common in an MS diagnosis.
Thank you
Thanks for your question. The term vasculitis denotes an inflammatory process of blood vessels, and it most frequently is associated by positive "acute phase" blood tests, such as "Eastern/Western Sedimentation Rate", "C Reactive Protein" - I known these names probably does not mean anything to a layman, but you might mention them to your physician. A vaculitic process in the Central Nervous System can have a number of different neurologic symptoms, and just like it happens with MS, can be a great "mimic" of other neurological disorders and be of difficult initial diagnosis. The "gold standard"/definitive test for a CNS vasculatis is a cerebral angiogram, however, because it is an invasive procedure - placing radio-opaque dyes in the brain vessels - and it has an non-negligible risk of complications, it should not be the first step in an investigative process. I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck. This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. | |
