Multiple Sclerosis Mri Brain White Matter Lesions
This contention is based on the premise that cerebral demyelination signs on mri are sufficiently recognizable and characteristic to be considered a sine qua non of ms diagnosis.
Multiple sclerosis mri brain white matter lesions. The images produced allow doctors to see lesions in your cns. This means that if someone with ms has brain lesions they. You can see them in other diseases which involve the blood vessels of the brain causing vasculitis that is inflammation of the blood vessels and this list includes neurosarcoidosis. Mri scans can detect damage in the central nervous system which comprises the brain and spinal cord.
White matter appears white because the protective wrapping around nerve fibers or axons is a pale fatty tissue called myelin. Since myelin coats the nerve fibers that travel through both the brain and the spinal cord demyelination creates lesions in both areas. Axons are like the electric wires of the brain says rhonda. 1 they are usually found in the brain s white matter typically near the ventricles but they can be located anywhere in the brain.
There are several causes of white spots on a brain mri including small strokes migraines multiple sclerosis ms lupus b12 deficiency a brain tumor such as lymphoma or an infection such as lyme disease or hiv. Ms related lesions appear on mri images as either bright or dark spots depending on the type. The key question then is whether a patient s mri shows ms like lesions. The role of mri in diagnosing ms if you have symptoms of ms your doctor may order an mri scan of your brain and spinal cord.