Question 1

brain mri white matter 4 black holes. lp clear. blood test clear. spinal mri ctl clear.  no symptom of ms.  what r the chances of be ms something else?

Accepted Answer

Symptoms? : You cannot anything on the information given black holes may have been there for years as far as we know multiple sclerosis is basically a clinical diagnosis in the absence of symptoms a repeat MRI is suggested in 6 months or so !

Question 2

recently had a brain mri shown couple of periventricular & subcortical white matters t2/flair what does it mean? does it indicate ms based on my symptoms? is it necessary to have spinal tap test? thanks?

Accepted Answer

: It could represent multiple sclerosis, however, much less likely at age 56.  It could be more concerning for mini strokes caused by undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.  I would strongly recommend an evaluation by your PCP and neurology to further sort this out and put you on the proper prevention strategy.

Question 3

what diseases cause hand paresthesia and swelling (in the ms mimic) catagory? i've been having a lot of symptoms that are classic ms symptoms but have not been diagnosed. my brain mri without contrast was normal. one neurologist sd it was anxiety and to s

Accepted Answer

We : We sometimes see hand numbness and swelling with compression of the nerves as they come down through the shoulder under the pectoralis muscle. If the mri's are normal ms is not a consideration.If the ncv shows no nerve slowing at the wrist ask your doctor to feel for tight knots in the pectoralis minor muscle or just above the collar bone. This is treated with stretching exercises and is often seen with poor posture. It is most common in women with large breasts and in people who spend the day hunched over a computer keyboard.

Question 4

for 2 yrs have symp of ms with brain mri shown nonspecific white matter. neurologist doesn't know the cause. spinal tap normal. what other condition's mimics ms? is it vitamin deficiency? or small fiber neuropathy? confused & tired of the flare ups?

Accepted Answer

: Multiple sclerosis is diagnosed based on time and space, in other words, it can be diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and number of attacks over time. The MRI and spinal tap are not necessary to make the diagnoses. MS can mimic myelopathies, myelitis, other demyelinating syndromes, rheumatologic, infectious (neurosyphilis), and vascular. Your primary care can refer you to these specialists.

Question 5

brain mri results: differential includes nonspecific demyelinating process such as ms vasculitis and infectious etilogies.  what does this mean?

Accepted Answer

Meaning of MRI: Differential-  this refers to the list of possible diagnoses for the person.

The radiologist is not exactly sure what the imaging diagnosis is but what they are saying is that it looks like is ms or ms like things.  Ms vasculitis (swelling of the arteries seen in ms).  The other thing he/she thinks is possible are infectious etiologies (causes: such as bacterial or viral infection.

Question 6

shortly after shingles on my face i got a number of body wide ms like symptoms. i had a normal brain mri. could post shingles cause ms like symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Irrelevant: Varicella zoster virus (shingles) is not a disease-relevant in multiple sclerosis. Also there is no study to show that shingles itself can cause MS.

Question 7

saw my neuro a few days ago to discuss yearly mri of brain. mri once again states white matter hyperintensitys consistent with demilating disorder , esp in the periventricular area and cortex.he said it's stable with no activity.no dx but on f)u ms?

Accepted Answer

: Not clear, from your post, if you do or don't have prior MS diagnosis, or whether you are taking medications.  An unchanged MRI suggests absence of new disease activity and this could be support of success in your treatment program, but could also represent a chronic remission in an inflammatory condition.

Question 8

brain mri couple of more nonspecific white matters compared to 6 mths ago, syms of ms, neurologist didn't explain what it means and want to do s.tap. he said my case it's complicated. blood works were neg. loosing balance all the time & gait issue.tx?

Accepted Answer

: If the MRI demonstrates changes in white matter lesions, this is highly suspicious, but not fully confirmatory, of Multiple Sclerosis.  It would be of great value to add MRI of cervical spine, and spinal fluid presence of oligoclonal bands would confirm diagnosis.  Perhaps your case is challenging, and maybe, a second opinion would be appropriate.

Question 9

is a neg brain mri enough to rule out ms?

Accepted Answer

Multiple sclerosis: A normal brain MRI can USUALLY exclude multiple sclerosis as a diagnosis. However, it depends on the quality of the MRI and whether the proper sequences (e.g FLAIR and sometimes Gadolinium) were performed. Even with a good MRI, 5% of patients with MS will have normal MRIs. A neurologist can diagnose multiple sclerosis based upon your neurologic symptoms over time, even if the MRI is normal.

Question 10

i have ms symptoms to the point of affecting my life and work...brain mri indicative of ms.....all else ruled out. neg. l.p. so dr wont treat .....why?

Accepted Answer

Complex diagnosis: Unable to evaluate your doctor's decision, but  must emphasize that many docs have a hard time understanding whether MRI lesions are specific for ms or another condition.  If you also have lesions on cervical MRI or brain lesions change, that would be better confirmation of ms.  So, suggest a followup study at 6 months.  Second opinion may be in order.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

Can gluten sensitivity mimic ms on brain mri tests

A member asked:

Brain mri white matter 4 black holes. lp clear. blood test clear. spinal mri ctl clear. no symptom of ms. what r the chances of be ms something else?

A member asked:

Recently had a brain mri shown couple of periventricular & subcortical white matters t2/flair what does it mean? does it indicate ms based on my symptoms? is it necessary to have spinal tap test? thanks?

A member asked:

What diseases cause hand paresthesia and swelling (in the ms mimic) catagory? i've been having a lot of symptoms that are classic ms symptoms but have not been diagnosed. my brain mri without contrast was normal. one neurologist sd it was anxiety and to s

A member asked:

For 2 yrs have symp of ms with brain mri shown nonspecific white matter. neurologist doesn't know the cause. spinal tap normal. what other condition's mimics ms? is it vitamin deficiency? or small fiber neuropathy? confused & tired of the flare ups?

A member asked:

Brain mri results: differential includes nonspecific demyelinating process such as ms vasculitis and infectious etilogies. what does this mean?

A member asked:

Shortly after shingles on my face i got a number of body wide ms like symptoms. i had a normal brain mri. could post shingles cause ms like symptoms?

A member asked:

Saw my neuro a few days ago to discuss yearly mri of brain. mri once again states white matter hyperintensitys consistent with demilating disorder , esp in the periventricular area and cortex.he said it's stable with no activity.no dx but on f)u ms?

A member asked:

Brain mri couple of more nonspecific white matters compared to 6 mths ago, syms of ms, neurologist didn't explain what it means and want to do s.tap. he said my case it's complicated. blood works were neg. loosing balance all the time & gait issue.tx?

A member asked:

Is a neg brain mri enough to rule out ms?

A member asked:

I have ms symptoms to the point of affecting my life and work...brain mri indicative of ms.....all else ruled out. neg. l.p. so dr wont treat .....why?

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?