Can you have MS if lesions are only in the brain

[raekay35]

Just wondering, can you still have MS if you have lesions (7) in the brain and more than 5 O-Bands in CSF but no lesions found in the cervical or thoracic spine?  Just wandering.

[Destiny6969]

I was diagnosed with many brain lesions 3 years ago. I was told that they were indications of TIAs. (I never had a clue I might be having a stroke) However, I often get feelings of devoidness of my lower legs when walking that makes me collapse. I have been accused of being drunk!  My balance is not good and i suffer from episodic Hemi crania, I have tremors a great deal. I am permanently tired but no one knows if this is possibly due to my as yet undiagnosed sleep apnoea.  I saw a previous neurolgist 5 years ago when I had the tremors, my foot dragged when walking and he felt I may have had Parkinsons but a DAT scan was clear. The next visit to him, I felt fine! was walking normally, no tremors!  He told me it was stress!!!
I am wondering if the lesions might be signs of MS and not TIAs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[kwarendorf]

HI BoM - Welcome to  the group.

I think your doctor is wrong. You can absolute have MS without spinal lesions. There are folks here who have MS but no o-bands.

If you really want to rule MS in or out. I would suggest you see an MS specialist. It is a clinical diagnosis that is often supported by various test/study results.

Kyle

[HVAC]

Yes you can have MS with only brain lesions and no o bands. Tests do not prove MS they are just part of the puzzle. Many neurologists want to see changes for themselves. The McDonald Criteria says you have have two separate attacks at different times affecting different areas of the CNS. This can be tricky and why it can take time to be diagnosed with MS. Unlike you I had positive MRIs for MS, 12 obands/ All the tests said MS. I had an attack in 1965 and was never hospitalized again. I needed a second attack the doctor could see. Finally a MS Specialist diagnosed me. The second MS Specialist figured out I had had MS since 1965.

I know it is frustrating. It just takes time.

Alex

[boysofmine]

If you have anomaly, lesion in gray matter, thalamus and 1 other white matter but no o bands or spinal lesions can it be MS?  I had a stroke 7 months ago but have had all the other symptoms of ms for 10 years prior to stroke. My Doc said he cannot definitively diagnose MS with out spinal lesions or O bands. he says he will put iot to the stroke until all stroke risk factors are normal.

[Erin0313]

Rae,

   My first lesion was a single (big) right paretial lobe active lesion but I couldn't get dx because I didn't have enough other positive tests so they said possible MS

It took 10 years to be dx. Now I have lots of brain lesions, O bands and lucky me spinal lesions. Maybe if they had started me on the DMD's 10 years earlier I wouldn't be so bad!

Good Luck,
Erin :)

[Gaucho25]

I understand that lesions correlate with symptoms. I havent been diagnosed, so far my diagnosis were vestibular or migraine related... I have been feeling weird 24/7 (non stop) since July 2008...so almosta year and a half. I have visual disturbances that keep getting worse, eye pain and pressure, headaches, muscle twitches, paresthesias and buzzing in different parts of the body neck and upper back pain (it cracks), dizziness, occasional extreme fatigue that comes suddenly, feeling like my body is heavy. I literally have every symptom you can imagine and not specific to only one area of the body. Have been getting MRIs of neck a spine, blood work, visual field tests, tomography of eyes, evoked potentials, and all tests that you can imagine... ALL NORMAL...
According to the amount of time that have passed since this originated, the normal tests, and the 1000s non-specific symptoms. wouldnt you think this is something else than MS?

[mackemuk]

Also Not Forgetting The 5 OBands.
Take Care,
Joe.

[Quixotic1]

In general, it is not useful to try to map brain lesions to symptoms.  See the Health Page "Lesions vs Symptoms."

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Lesions-vs-Symptoms/show/61?cid=36

It is very hard to detect lesions in the spine, especially the thoracic spine.  However, your sensation of a tight wrapping band around your torso could only be caused by a thoracic lesion - even if it wasn't seen.

If you also have hyperactive reflexes, then that speaks again to a lesion in the spinal cord - whether or not it was seen on the MRI.  See:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Spinal-Cord-Lesions/show/764?cid=36

Yes, your symptoms are consistent with (but not diagnostic of) MS.  The dizziness, visual issues, weakness, tremors, and memory/cognitive problems are all common in MS.

I hope that this helps.

Quix

[MS_FURUSOB]

I have been diagnosed with MS for 10 years now. The docs can't find any lesions on my spine spine, but I probably have one or two. Lesions are much harder to see on the spine vs the brain. Take the time to see an MS specialist. When I was first diagnosed, I saw a specialist way out of my area, and then switched to a neurologist closer to home. With medications, involvement with MS information and support groups, along with a positive attitude my life is close to symptom free today. Good luck!

[raekay35]

Thank you for your response...I haven't seen the MS Specialist yet, that is on Monday, but I was just wondering because it's a long drive there and didn't want to waste my time or the time of the doctor if you had to have spinal lesions.  I just got the report from my thoracic MRI and no lesions, cervical MRI was clear too but do have at least 7 white matter lesions in my brain and greater than 5 o-bands along with several concerning symptoms:  severe dizziness which results in imbalance and falling or stumbling, right hand tremor x 1+ month, blurry vision, right sided weakness from time to time, difficulty remembering simply things and completing sentences sometimes and this weird tiightening around my torso, usually starts around spine and wraps around front, sometimes lasts a couple seconds other times lasts up to 30-40 mintues.  My lesions were in the left frontal lobe periventricular white matter as well as bilateral cerebral hemispheres primarily in the subcortical location.  Do you know if any of these locations would correspond with my symptoms?  Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Quixotic1]

Rae - Is someone withholding a diagnosis because of a lack of lesions in the spine?

Q

[Quixotic1]

I also was diagnosed with just opne brain lesion and no spinal lesions.  However, my spinal lesions showed up as soon as I got a better MRI.

Q

[essdipity]

Brain lesions are far more common in MS than spinal lesions, and you absolutely can have MS with only brain lesions. Lesions in the spine, though, are more specific for MS, since not many diseases can cause them, whereas many conditions cause abnormalities in brain MRIs. Also, though, spinal lesions are much harder to detect, even with the most advanced technology now available.

Good luck to you.

ess

[raekay35]

Thank you!!!  Everything I read is so overwhleming, I have an appt on Monday with an MS specialist about 4 hours away and didn't want to drive that far is there was no chance of a dx or reason for my symptoms.

[jensequitur]

Yup!  I was diagnosed with one lesion in the cerebellum and 5 o-bands in CSF.