need some help

[lottie67]

hi im a 45 yr female over the past 10 years i have been having bouts of servere pins and needles in the right side of my body including my face and tongue, blured vision and sometimes cant seem to get my words out.i had a mri 10 yrs ago that came back normal, i was took into hospital over the weekend as my right side of my face drooped a little and the pins and needles came back really bad i had a litle bit of weakeness in my right side, dr thought maybe i had a mini stroke but then decided to send me for another mri t2 scanwhich i was told was normal but in the report it says scattered deep white matter hyperintensities i have no idea what this means, but was told i need to go back in 6 weeks to see them could this be MS or just nothing

[jensequitur]

I'm glad you have the report - do you have the films or a CD as well?  

Deep white matter hyperintensities is an indicator that you have enhancing lesions in the brain.  These lesions can be from several disease processes.  It's possible you have MS, but it's also possible that these are from ischemic damage (tiny little strokes) in the brain.  Lyme disease also causes lesion formation.  The radiologist's job is to look at the lesions and decide where they are, and what disease that might indicate.  So if the report says something like 'non-specific' then he wasn't able to figure it out.  If the report says 'evidence of demyelination disease' or 'white matter disease' then he suspects MS as a diagnosis.

However, it concerns me that your neuro said the report came back fine.  Is he your regular neuro, or just the one from the hospital?

Welcome to the forum!  Feel free to ask anything, and I know other people will be by to welcome you.

[jensequitur]

I'm sorry - that should be "an indicator that you have lesions in the brain."  Not enhancing - enhancing is when an MRI is given with gadolinium contrast, and the lesions show up white on the scan.

[COBOB]

And T2 hyperintensities are lesions.  GAD enhancing lesions show up on T1 sequences.  This stuff get really specific and confusing.

[lottie67]

hi i never see the neuro guy i was admitted to the hospital through accident and emergency  i just see the medical drs had the mri a day later 3 days later dr comes to see me and says we will send you appointment to be seen in 6 weeks time.
me being me never asked questions as i just wanted to get home i was given the discharge letter on which it had the mri results on thats where i see the comment about "scattered deep white matter hyperintensities" and at the end it says no significant abnormality has been demonstrated, i couldnt have the gadolinium contrast as i had a severe reaction to it before, this is all very confusing to me as i still have the pins and needles in my face and all down my right arm and leg, guess i just have to sit and wait the 6 weeks to ask the questions i should have

[jensequitur]

It sounds like you'll need to go ahead and find a regular neurologist who can follow your case and (hopefully!) diagnose you.

With lesions in your brain, it's not surprising that you have pins and needles and other symptoms.  It sounds like the radiologist was looking for tumors or malformations, and they didn't find any - so that's good.

[COBOB]

Well, GAD only tells the approximate age of lesions (less than about 40 days old.)  If the enhance on T1, they are visible on T2.  As far as the reading, you need to have the stdy read by a neuro that is an MS specialist  or by a Neuro-Radiologist.  Smoe general radiologists are OK, but in many medical centers they don't get to read the large volue of neuro-imaging needed to be proficient at it.  That is why there is a sub-specialty is neuro-radiology.  Never trust a neuro that doesn't at least review/read your study on his own.  

Bob