I dont understand my MRI results? Please explain.....

[Sammich]

Hello. I have a copy of my MRI results, and I dont understand what 90 percent of it means. It says that I have lesions, and I am worried about MS. Here is some of the report, can enyone explain in English what it is saying, and if the findings are common for MS diagnosis?


"There are punctate focal areas of increased signal intensity on FLAIR imaging within the frontal lobes bilaterally. Two are seen within the right frontal lobe and three are noted within the left frontal lobe. These are located at the corticomedullary junction. The most prominent is seen within the right frontal lobe. None of these lesions exhibit enhancement following gadolinium delivery. There is no evidence of mass effect. These would be consistent with areas of white matter alteration seen in association with chronic migraine headaches.
IMPRESSION:
A few scattered focal areas of increases signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging within the frontal lobes bilaterally at the corticomedullary junctions with differential considerations including areas of white matter alteration secondary to chronic migraine migraine headsches........"


I dont have chronic migraines. I have only had 2 my whole life.
Please help! Thank you so much!!

[Sammich]

Oh, and I should also mention that I feel tired all the time, and also do not have much arm strength. For instance when I am giving my daughter a bath, I can barely lift her up high enough to hand her to her dad. I also have slight visual disturbance in my right eye. Almost is as if there is a fuzzy in my eye or something. It causes my vision to be blurry at times, and I feel the need to rub it because it feels like there is in my eye.....

[Sammich]

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it! Ok, so here it goes.....

I was sent in for an MRI because I had headaches which I though to be a sinus infection. My mother had a brain aneurysm, so the doc wanted to rule that out, and look for a sinus infection at the same time, I guess. I have a history of anxiety and panic issues. So when I got my report, I "googled" lesions and white matter and saw MS MS MS MS. The MRI was done in December 2010. Recently, I have noticed that parts of my fingers will periodically go numb for a bit. Then I started having numbness in my right cheek, and sort of a burning sensation. Yesterday it went to both cheeks. I work on weekends as a server and get extreme leg cramps after about an hour into my shift. I also get a tingling sensation on a toe sometimes. So, because of my panic and anxiety, I dont know whether the numbness in the face and what not are anxiety related, or MS related. And I worry about MS because of the lesions, white matter, and signal intensity on T2 in my MRI report. I dont know if I should be concerned and go see a doc again for further testing, or if its me letting my anxiety get the best of me, yet again.

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon....
Thanks again,
Sam

[Karen99]

THIS DESCRIBES THE LOCATION AND SIZE OF "PUNCTUATES: AKA LESIONS: "There are punctate focal areas of increased signal intensity on FLAIR imaging within the frontal lobes bilaterally. Two are seen within the right frontal lobe and three are noted within the left frontal lobe. These are located at the corticomedullary junction. The most prominent is seen within the right frontal lobe."  PUNCTUATE MEANS SMALL.

THE LESIONS DO NOT LIGHT UP AFTER DYE:  "None of these lesions exhibit enhancement following gadolinium delivery." IN MS, ACTIVE LESIONS LIGHT UP.

THERE IS NO TUMOR OR OTHER MASS: "There is no evidence of mass effect."

LIKELY CULPRIT MIGRAINES:  "These would be consistent with areas of white matter alteration seen in association with chronic migraine headaches."

"differential considerations including areas of white matter alteration secondary to chronic migraine migraine headsches.  A "DIFFERENTIAL" IS ONE DISORDER/DISEASE TO BE CONSIDERED.

As Sadie asked, why was the MRI ordered?  What are your symptoms?

This will help you understand MRI's a bit:
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/How-MRIs-Show-Lesions-in-MS/show/23?cid=36

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

Take a look at the Health Pages located at the upper right hand corner - to the far right of "post a question."

Welcome and keep us posted.

[sadie405]

Hi-- I'm assuming you are having neurological symptoms and that this was why the MRI ordered?
If it was ordered for suspicion of MS this could be another piece of the diagnosis puzzle-- when do you see the doc who orderd the study?