CIS and Transverse Myelitis???

[Suzie9]

Does anyone know how neurologists tell the difference between Transverse Myelitis and CIS?

I have been diagnosed with CIS with lesions on my spine and brain, sudden paraethesia 2 years ago in my spine, but what makes it CIS, meaning probable MS, and not Transverse Myelitis? Is it anything to do with the location of lesions?

Any Info would be appreciated.

Aimee.

[Udkas]

Hi there,

I have no idea what CIS is? Or what it stand for but I can tell you a little bit about Transverse Myelitis.

TM affects the spinal cord, the lesion is transverse (hence the name) so both sides of the spinal cord is usually affected.  The lesion is usually bigger than what is found in MS lesions, so your lesions look different as well.  TM is usually "once occuring" but can re occur but when it does often MS becomes a consideration....or some other underlying cause.  

Often the onset of TM is sudden, symptoms can be similar to that of MS but with TM it can all happen very fast.  I think the neurologist would usually diagnose TM on the location of your lesions, size, your symptoms and a normal brain MRI... you can have lesions in your brain and be diagnosed with TM but I think they need to be non specific lesions... If you are confused I would as your neurologist as to why he/she is thinking the way that they are.  If you have multiple lesions in your spine and also a lesion in your brain this would show that you have had multiple episodes and I would think would suggest MS more than TM, but hey I am not an expert on all this. :-)

My Neuro gave me a diagnosis of TM based on how my symptoms presented and what type of symptoms I had and my neuro exam.  My MRI was normal but he said imaging of spinal cord is not 100% accurate.. and normal MRI does not mean that the lesions are not there? Who knows. :-)

Hope this has helped.

Best of luck,
Udkas.

[hbananas]

From another TM-er:  The single biggest predictor of whether or not TM turns into MS is brain lesions, which you have.  So it's being called CIS (clinically isolated syndrome) because of that.

I guess the only really reliable way to tell a CIS from TM is when the next attack comes.  Then the doctor can say Aha!  The first one WAS MS.

So Udkas and I MIGHT have a CIS, but the only thing we know for sure is that we have TM right now.

[Suzie9]

Thank you very much for your coments, it is very interesting. So as you say it is probably my brain lesions that make it Clinically Isolated Syndrome.

Its not that I don't trust my neurologist, I completely think she has got the right diagnosis, but she has never explained anything to me. I was told maybe Devics at first but that has been ruled out now due to a normal VEP. Transverse Myelitis was never mentioned I just saw disinct similarities between what I had had and some cases of TM.

Thanks again

Aimee.

[StormyRenee]

I was diagnosed with TM 7/1/09. But actually got it in 1/09. Took a long time to get diagnosed because I have a mild case. All my MRI's had been normal up until my most recent brain MRI which showed 15 spots . They are not typical MS lesions but MS could not be ruled out.But my Evoked potential tests showed no sign of demylenating disease.Which means no MS? I have symptoms from head to toe which is not typical with TM and points more towards MS. It seems that the risuleds from the TM get better all the time and I have not had any problems in that area. But I am now getting complicated migraines with aura. Those cause an entirely new set of problems. They are like stroke and ms rolled into one. So I'm back at square one agin. It's a very confusing mess.

[Udkas]

Hi there,
I can relate to your problems big time!  I have been diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis too and I also now suffer from 'stroke like migraines", my neurologist said that they are part of the TM (well that they are prob caused or made worse by my lesions).., who knows but they are very scary stuff and I have trouble differentiating between the migraines and the TM, and when I should go back to the Neuro etc.

Basically my neuro told me I have two problems the TM and the migraines and that the migraines would be like getting the flu or a cold etc. and would make my TM symptoms worse too.  I am about to try some migraine medicine but I am also going to go and get my hormones tested as I suspect I might be experiencing early onset of menopause and perhaps this is my reason for migraines.

Best of luck,
UDkas.