MRI result

[jillybean1975]

I have been diagnosed with MS for over 20 years. I have always been very active in my treatment choices and educated on all past MRI findings.  I was in  2nd year studies for MRI technician and had already a good knowledge of what looked normal and what was not at time of diagnosis, I am very grateful for the knowledge I had prior to diagnosis, it made the news of MS a relief as opposed to a crisis for me.  Today though, I sit here quite perplexed.  There are words being used on this report that I am unfamiliar with the usage, and the center did not give me a CD of the images to be able to have on hand at home as they had in the past.  Under impression "3. ....There has been evolution in the appearance of several lesions w/slight NEW CAVITATION in the high-right frontal convexity measuring several millimeters which was not previously present."  my question pertains to what I capitalized, what is cavitation in terms of MS lesions, in my past knowledge cavitation was used when discussing tumors.  I know that over time lesions from MS on the brain with go from the white areas visible on MRI to a black, dead area, meaning those spots will never be able to be repaired, is that what cavitation refers to in this report?  Thank you for any ideas, doctors office simply called and stated MRI as suspected showed progression, I have been reading to find what/how extensive progression is, and this is the only area that has left me uncertain as to what radiologist means.

[supermum_ms]

Hi Jillybean and welcome to our little MS community,

"3. ....There has been evolution in the appearance of several lesions w/slight NEW CAVITATION in the high-right frontal convexity measuring several millimeters which was not previously present."  

I believe even though the wording isn't commonly used, it's likely regarding the notable changes of a few previously stable lesions, which could potentially be evolving into black-holes.........'cavitation' in general is used in relation to holes and in the grand scheme of MS, old lesions can become T1 hypointense lesions or in other words = black-holes. It's possible that this MRI actually captured the process of the creation of black hole....  

This is a very interesting research article on the evolution of black holes, worth reading imho: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/126/8/1782

Cheers..........JJ

[HVAC]

I think cavitation does refer to old lesions which would make sense if you have had MS for over twenty years. What is more important is how are your symptoms are and progression. I have had MS since 1965. All my MRI, eye pictures, and LP showed old damage. I have the same symptoms I have had since childhood.

Most MS damage is in the gray matter which is not visible on MRIs which see white matter.

Alex