Please Help Explain This MRI

[briancrotts]

i just got my report, and thi sis what it says..

Findings: the ventricles are normal in size and position with no hydrocephalus identified. FLAIR weighted images reveal tiny areas of increased signal intensity in the subcortial white matter of the right posterior frontal parietal region. this is nonspecific. it is not classic for multiple sclerosis however, demelinating disease is not competly excluded. similar findings can be seen in patients with migrane headaches or can be related to other benign etologies. no other areas of altered signal are identified involving the brain.

what does this mean. i was diagnosed in 2008 but what does all of this mean?

[jensequitur]

All my MRIs have been loud!  The loudest was that .7T MRI in an open tube.  You should be able to inquire at the clinic what the machine strength was.  Of course, if you have images, you should be able to tell very quickly.  3T images are much clearer than the 1.5T.

[briancrotts]

I am not sure of the strength, but this one felt different.. much louder and a longer exam..

[jensequitur]

What they're saying is it's not the classic lesion distribution that they see in MS.  This does not mean that you were misdiagnosed.  It just means that the kinds of lesions you have can also be seen in migraine activity.  

However, "tiny areas of increased signal intensity in the subcortical white matter of the right posterior front parietal region" is very typical for MS activity.

What strength was this MRI?  Was it stronger or weaker than the one you got in 2008?

[briancrotts]

am i right in thinking the radiologist does not see signes of MS? i was diagnosed out of state and this is the first MRI in almost 3 years..

[Lulu54]

I think that means that you need to have a serious discussion with your neurologist about this radiology report.  Sometimes the neuros see the films differently than the radiologist does -

don't leave yourself wondering if you have the right diagnosis. Ask!!!
Lulu