abnormal signal intensity of spine

[Ufrustrated2]

at one time, i had, "abnormal signal intensity of cervical spine" on  a couple of mri's. alone with the "dawson's fingers" pattern on brain.

i had a recent mri of cervical due to possible surgery there and the mri this time returns " no abnormal signal intensity of spine".

just curious, do lesions come and go like this? this doesnt mean my ms has gone does it?

[twopack]

There's a HealthPage available about the same thing.  It's the one titled "Lesions - Can they Disappear?" and subtitled "A Case Overview: The Case of the Disappearing Lesion".  Our own Doc Quix (Quixotic!) was the lead detective and author.  She explained how it can happen.  You can access it here:
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/Lesions---Can-they-Disappear-A-Hypothetical-Case-Overview/show/566?cid=36

There could be another explanation though.  MR imaging ordered for orthopedic concerns is done using a different protocol that what is used for MS diagnosis.  It produces far fewer images of larger 'sections' of the spine.  The cord lesions of MS are often difficult to image under the best circumstances.  A radiologist or orthopedic surgeon who is looking primarily for problems with bone could easily miss lesions that still exist but are either difficult to see or invisible under the protocol used.

[Ufrustrated2]

i'll say i remembr your science talk, to save face. ;-)

yes, i htink i remember that lesions poping up via signal one time may mean they get healed a bit and don't pop up on image a year or so later. i'm happy thenn for all of us that our bodies are still fighting this as best it can.

i don't know what i was thinking when i saw this neck report, part worry and part elated. like wow my ms is gone, but i still feel bad, etc. glad you are here to help my mind see through its fog.

the physical damge to cervical, well, that hasn't gone away, gotten worse actually. which prompted seeing a surgeon.

surgeon is a little hesitant to operate due to ms, so he says. we'll see and i 'll let you know. he's ordered today brain, t-sec, and lumbar new mri's so maybe hes getting a roadmap. non-va surgeon.

i'd lay on a guillitone on some days the way this constant neck issue drags on like water-drop torture.

i rambled on a bit, but want to say thanks for updated education.

[Lulu54]

UF2, no it doesn't mean your MS is gone - if only it were that simple.

Remember my little science talk about healing lesions?  Well our bodies are pretty adept at trying to fix things that are wrong - when we fall down and scrap a knee, the body gets to work, scabs over the wound and tries to heal it.  There will be some scarring left behind, but a pretty decent patch job is accomplished.

The myelin control is the same - it gets munched off our nerves, the body repairs it by putting down more myelin. Unfortunately it's likea  bad pot hole patch job that is never as good as the original road surface.  This patch job allows the signal to travel but it doesn't move as efficiently as before the damage. So yes, the body does repair itself usually,  but it's never as good as the original.

And no, your MS does not go away either.
good luck with the surgery. L