brain lesions

Hi, can you tell me the difference in brain lesions from MS and lesions from vascular migraines?  I was diagnosed with multiple brain lesions seen with T2.  It said that they were not ovoid in shape or tranversely oriented.  Can you tell me what this means?  I have suffered with migraines for 34 years.  I have both aura and non-aura migraines.  Could these lesions be related to the migraines?  

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

Simply put, MRI lesions due migraine are tiny areas of white matter hyperintensities. These lesions are smaller than those in MS. MS lesions are mostly in the deep white matter and are periventricular. The Migraine lesions can be periventricular and at other areas also.

When the report says that the lesions are not ovoid or transverse, they are trying to say that it is probably not due to MS.

Your lesions on the MRI are either non-specific, or are associated with the chronic migraine headaches. In a few studies, it was found that around 12 to 47 % of migraine sufferers had white matter lesions on MRI, as compared to 2-14% normal individuals.

Regards