MRI findings of multiple hemangiomas

[mel19641949]

I am a 45-year-old women who over the past six months, has been having a myriad of symptoms that are consistent with multiple sclerosis.  While pregnant with my last child 19 years ago, I was diagnosed with optic neuritis.  Approximately 8 years later, I was diagnosed once again.  I had an MRI of the brain at the time and it was negative.  Since I did not have any other symptoms of MS at the time, I did not follow with any other tests.  In the last six months I have suffered with, what I would call equilibrium issues - nausea and vomiting, tripping, bumping into things such as the corner of my dresser, desk, coffee table, etc.  I also had episodes where I would see flashing lights in my vision and my left eye hurt - these was essentially the same symptoms I had while pregnant. During this time, I also ended up being admitted for dysphasia (I was unable to formulate my sentences/thoughts)  This lasted approximately 4 days and resolved completely.  The nausea and vomiting has also subsided (I now take Antivert or Benadryl and Phenerganwhen the nausea hits). However, now I have numbness and tingling in my bilateral feet and hands, my thoracic spine area in my ribs area, as well as a completely numb right great toe.  I also have plantar pain (burning, tearing type) on the bottom of my right foot, and the top of my right foot has an electrical pain when touched.  Last summer my right knee also had the same issue with pain (burning, tearing type pain).  This has since resolved but has left the side of my knee numb.  I am currently in the process of being worked up for MS and have had a brain MRI and MRI of the t-spine, c-spine and l-spine, all with and w/o contrast.  The brain MRI was normal.  However, the MRI of the t-spine showed multiple (5) large lesions at T1, T2, T5, T6, and T10.  The radiologist states that these are "probable" hemangiomas.  There is no nerve root compression, compression fracture, focal protrusions, canal compromise, or foraminal stenosis.  There is some degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine with a "small left paracentral disc protrusion at C6-C7, which does not produce significant canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing".

My question is this:  Could hemangiomas cause the problems in both hands, both feet and back?  Is it possible that the findings in the cervical spine could actually be lesions from MS? I realize that both hemangiomas and lesions from MS show has hyperintense foci on MRI and five hemangiomas at different, non-adjacent levels is a rare finding. I do realize that hemangiomas can cause problems, but there are no compression fractures or soft tissue masses in these areas.  The radiologist did say 'probable hemangiomas'...  Could this be something other?

[shorty3742]

hi your story sounds like mine

[trishw148]

I see this is pretty old, but your situation sounds like mine.  After each of my four chiildren I had neurological symptoms.  My last was the worst and lasted about one year.  All kinds of MS type symptoms.  It cleared up but I was worried about it and had an MRI of brain.  It was normal.  That was 1998.  The neuro said with all the severe symptoms I had experienced, the brain mri would have shown some scaring.  I had am mri in 2008 for a scary vision loss situation which was dxd as migraine wo headache.  My mri again was fine.  Now in 2013 I had a brain mri (I'm now 50) for persistant twitching of my lip and it had one nonspecific 3mm hyperintensive focus in the right frontal lobe.  Differential dx demyleinating process.  The neuro says it is not MS.  Also had a small enhancing lesion suspected of right frontal bone which may be reflective of a small hemangioma.  My neuro isn't worried about that either.  My point is, weird neurological symptoms can occur and not be MS.  Seriously, after my fourth child I had every symptom in the MS book.  I was convinced.  I personally think hormones.  A neuro I saw back then said maybe viral.  Anyway, my 2 cents is no MS.  Hemangiomas aren't ms plaques.  Weird neuro symptoms aren't always ms.