Abnormal T2 signal

My baby got "Extensive abnormal T2 signal throughout the supratentorial white matter " on his Brain MRI scan, but his development is totally normal. And the doctor has excluded neurofibromatosis. More blood and urine tests are on the way. Is possible to have abnormal T2 signal AND without any associated disease? Will it cause future development issues? Please Help! Thanks!  

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

My first question is why did your baby have a brain MRI? Depending on the age of the child, there may be white matter changes seen on MRI. This is secondary to the development of the brain. However, there are many diseases that can cause abnormal white matter changes on MRI. These may include inborn errors of metabolism and demyelination to name a few. It is possible to have a normal developing child and later begin noticing changes. I can’t comment too much more as to what you mean by white matter abnormalities since this is quite broad, and I don’t know more about your child’s history and examination, but I do recommend that you continue working with your physician. Is your child being followed by a pediatric neurologist? If not, I would recommend this. You may need to have your child’s urine sent for organic acids and serum sent for amino acids. You may also need to have a lactate, pyruvate, ammonia, copper/ceruloplasmin, and acylcarnithine levels sent. These are a few tests that would be helpful.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.