Scar Tissue

[GSDTara]

How long does scar tissue continue to build up?  Does it build up indefinately or does it only build up for a short period of time after surgery?  

I had a right temporal lobectomy for epilepsy ten years ago. It seems that I recently have had aura's and a recent EEG shows mild seizure activity. The neuro said he sees a lot of scar tissue and fluid on the MRI.  I'm wondering if maybe this scar tissue is pressing up againt nerves and that's why it seems like my seizures are coming back after ten years.  But, if scar tissue only builds up over a short period of time after surgery, then that means my seizures aren't back due to the scar tissue.

Thank you!

[Tam583]

Well 25 years ago I had quite a few head injuries and was sent to a neurologist for tests. They told me I had scar tissue build up and that was why I was having seizures, then my doctor put me a disability. 2 years ago I banged my head again went to hospital and they ran a scan doc came back and said there was no scar build up? I don't get it does it just disappear? Was it possible that I was misdiagnosed?

[debbie041907]

I had an Intracranial Aneurysm in 1988.
One day, several years later I was pushing pulling and lifting heavy furniture,etc. when all of a sudden, I heard a gastly noise from eithin my head. Room went kind of fuzzy and had to be on bed rest for days..
I was rushed to my Doctor who informed me I had over exhurted myself and had torn scar tissue IN my Head!!
This has happened several times over the years and actually just happened three days ago.
My 'boyfriend' doesn't beleive this has hapened or I have been diagnosed
with tearing scar tissue in my head..
I've had two seperate open head surgeries.
Just wondering, has anyone else heard of,or been diagnosed like me??
Thanks everyone

[paul84]

exact same thing happened me.was in car crsh 30yrs ago.im now 40 and neuro reckons scarring on brain is causing seizures now.

[batterup]

My husband has had three seizures since 2004, almost every two years. he had his third one just two days ago. also, they have occured while sleeping and I'm a witness to them. His second MRI shows scar tissue from an old head injury(25 years ago) that caused a concussion and required surgery. never had any problems. Then out of the blue one night he had his first seizure. Only symptom is a headache on the side of his old injury. The neurologist says the seizures are triggered by the scar tissue and started him on medication.  I wonder if the scar tissue can be reduced and maybe stop the seizures. Also curious why they only occur every couple of years...

[GodofredoMD]

Hi.

Your points are valid indeed. Scar tissue usually only builds up as an immediate response to injury or trauma and would not persist for a long time. However, the findings of scar tissue in your brain may not all be related to the previous surgery that was done. Any injury to the brain, whether from trauma or otherwise, would trigger a healing response of gliosis, and this could present itself later on as scar tissue on MRI.

However, this does not mean that your seizures are due to the scar tissue as it would be difficult to ascertain that. Have you experienced seizures since the surgery? Mild seizure activity on EEG is not diagnostic of recurrence and should just be observed for any progression.

Hope this helps.

[APip82]

I had a traumatic brain injury at age 7 in 1989. Five years later I started having horrible migraines where I would throw up sometimes and the pain felt like the severe head pain I had in 1989 following my release from UCSF. They almost had to open my skull bc of how much my brain had swelled. In 2010 at age 28 I had a SVT attack that right before it started I had this really uncomfortable feeling hit like something is wrong but I didn't know what so I started walking around the house quickly to find my husband and kept saying I need help over and over again. Then about 45 seconds later the SVT attack happened. I saw a cardiologist bc they thought it was a heart issue and went in twice for a procedure where they keep injecting you over and over again to try to trigger it but never could. I kept telling him that he did these tests during the daytime and the only time the uncomfortable feeling shortly followed by SVT only occurs at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. The first time it happened during the premonition I got really sick then SVT hit and as my husband was on the line with 811 I kept saying I must be having a heart attack while leaning over the toilet thinking I'm about to throw up. In 2012 the same thing happened but I kept walking into the wall even though I could see the door and the door knob but couldn't stop walking into the wall for about 12 seconds. Hot flashes started occurring by themselves day and night. Then I kept having these dizzy spells over and over again during the day in a high stress work environment where I felt like I was on my dad's boat riding on the waves. Five times since 28 I have had a weird thing happen, I walk into work and all of a sudden have extreme head pain that makes me collapse putting my head on top of my desk cant move bc it makes it worse, having to close my eyes, trying not to throw up and on a cool surface. It lasts anywhere from 5-7 minutes and then I'm fine again. Things picked up in 2015 with the addition of the frequent day and night dizzy spells, nausea, hot flashes, involuntary rapid eye movement and changed in eye pressure (which an opthomologist checked my eyes the following morning after the pressure had ended finding my eyes are in tip top shape), changes in blood pressure going up high to low, feeling like I can't get comfortable and have to move at night, sometimes forgetting what I was saying in response to a question or forgetting what I was saying mid sentence, unable to remember the question just asked or where I was going and what I was going there to do, like walking down the hallway to a room to find recently Weston washed clothing. The full attacks always happen early to late evening that always start with the premonition, feeling sick, then SVT always in that order with the rest of the symptoms occurring but not in a specific order. Then there's the weird sex drive that happens but only happened three times so far within the past two years late at night and by itself. A neurosurgeon told me it is focal partial autonomic seizures and told me to see a neurologist to be put on seizure meds before it crosses to the other side of the brain which i didnt understand. I was put on lamictal after Keppra by itself wasn't stopping the by themselves symptoms or full attacks. But I was still having and still am having individual symptoms during day and night (minus weird sick feeling with SVT so extended Xanax was prescribed to be taken with nightie me does of seizure med. It has reduced the number of full attack frequency even more but not altogether and has not stopped the daytime individual symptom attacks which can vary throughout the day some even also at night.
I had a 3t MRI done December 2015 that showed a ton of scar tissue from the 89 TBI. I have had head injuries three times while doing competitive gymnastics between the ages of 16-22. The 3t MRI from 2015 also showed a spot in the front right area that is not a full circling shape but is a partial circular shape but with an odd shape. I just had my second 3t MRI done in June which showed no changes. My neurologist warned that any change to the front right spot can take a year or more to show the slightest change but was more inclined to suspect a piece of scar tissue on the left back area (at least I think the back). Can the scar tissue over this amount of time minus the spot cause or put pressure or spread out to cause this? Does it seem more likely that a piece of scar tissue on the back left side or the odd shaped sir ulnar spot be causing this? The neurologist said it can take a year or more for the front right spot to make even the slightest change, is this true?
I've had scar tissue grow in three years after masses cause a bowel blockage grow and speed all over but the scar tissue around one of the spots where small intestine was reconnected cause this one three weeks ago. It had spread to many other areas that would become huge problems had this one not hit first. All scar tissue was removed although I understand new scar tissue will grow but hopefully will take more than 3 years to cause another blockage or never again.
Let me know your thoughts.

[help3]

scar tissue in the brain is considered infarctions. any type of infarction or lesion can definately cause seizures. dont know why it would take ten years.are you on any medicine? discontinued it recently??? dunno  kinda weird.... good luck