Would a MRI ordered to look for disc problems...

...be adequate for spotting lesions?
MK

[Quixotic1]

Not necessarily.  Lesions certainly "could" show up on such an MRI, but the technique used is suboptimal for ensuring that all is done to show the cord lesions.

MRIs used to look for disc problems would not use the techniques, like fast-STIR, needed to visualize cord lesions.  Also I do not believe that they use thin slice and continuous cuts (meaning they skip areas) needed to pick up the lesions.  Bones and discs are far easier to see than sublte cord lesions.

In summary, if some are seen, then great, but if none are seen you don't know anything about whether lesions are there or not.

Q