do you have to have active lesions in the brain on MRI in order to have M.S. My husband was diagnosed with M.S. and is driving himself crazy denying it. He had an MRI of the brain that showed multiple foci of T2 and FLAIR hyperintensity in the white matter of both cerebral hemispheres including approximately 5 small lesions in the periventricular white matter, lovated at the callosal sptal margin and oriented perpendicular long axis of the lateral ventricles. THere are 2 Flair hyperintense lesions along the undersurface of the copus callosum. Focus of T2 hyperintensity is seen in the deep white matter of the right frontal lobe. There is a focus of T2 and FLAIR hyperintensity inthe left posterior pons.
He keeps saying that they are not active lesions and that therefore becasue his sympotms came on one week prior to this MRI of the brain that they can not be M.S. He states that he has to have active lesions to have sympotms. His sympotms are right sided numbess of the leg/foot, flank, arm, hand, his neck is sore and this is a new symptoms this week and he says it may be a pinched nerve. He also has left facial tingling and numbness/loss of taste of his tounge, and he gets a burning up the back of his head. he does not have any constant pain.
so my question again is, because his lesions are old (as he states) does that mean that he does not have M.S.?
WBW