MRI Question

[mb2815]

I leave for the Mayo Clinic (ten hour drive) on Tuedsay to see a MS specialist as referred by my neuro.  I have a quick question.  While my MRI of my head showed many lesions/demyelination areas my spinal head only showed many hemangiomas and cysts.  There were no areas of demyelination.  The machine used was a 1.5T.  Is there really a big difference in demylenation/lesions showing up with stronger machines?  Should I request a second spinal MRI or is this really not necessary?  I am hoping to get everything figured out and want to make sure I ask all the right questions when I am there.  I had read a post sometime back about the difference that could be told in the different machines but I could not find it.  Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

[cjacks]

Marie

Good luck today.    Take your timeline and your old scans with you.

Best wish.    Drive carefully and rest often

You're in my prayers

Jo     ((((((( Hugs )))))

[mb2815]

Thank you so much.  Hopefully I get a good team of advocates at the Mayo Clinic.  I really appreciate everything you guys do on this forum.  It has helped me to be a stronger more informed person through this bump in the road.  

Marie

[Quixotic1]

Yes, this is the case.  In 3/07 I had a spine MRI on a 1.5T machine.  Nada, clean, no lesions.  5 weeks later I had a repeat spinal scan on a 3T machine which showed 6 (SIX) lesions, 2 in cervical, 2 in brainstem, and 2 in thoracic.

My MS Neuro is one of the smartest doctors I have ever met and I have met some very smart doc's!  He won't even look at a spinal MRI done on a 1.5T.  He has had so many cases like mine, he thinks the 1.5T are usless as far as visualizing lesions in the cord.

The cord presents more problems with respect to the cord.  Any motion introduces noise and errors into the image.  Close to the spinal cord are the movements of breathing, the heart beating, the pulsations of the aorta, the movement of the stomach and upper intestines.  That's a lot of movement.  That's part of the problem.  But, my neuro sends all suspects MS cases to the 3T.  And it made a huge difference in my case.

Sorry I didn't see your post.

Quix

[doublevision1]

bump bump

[mb2815]

Bumping up for Quix - I leave in the morning.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[doublevision1]

I don't have much knowledge in this area but I do recall Quix said recently that her lesions finally showed up on a 3T, when previously they did not (on lesser strength machines).

Quix...do I have this right?

db