Why would one have a bright MRI of the brain with white matter?
[ 27. January 2006, 11:23 AM: Message edited by: KevinT ]
Posted by david1097 (Member # 3662) on :
I have never heard that phrase used before.
However, with heavy contamination with some metallic or organo metalic compounds the MRI "brightness" will be altered. Also gadolinium compounds are used to injected and used to detect tumours. These then become very "bright" objects if present.
Posted by duramater (Member # 6480) on :
t1 mri = lesions, tissue loss look dark
t2 or bright mri = lesions, tissue loss looks white or bright
gadolinium or contrast mri = active lesions are bright (in t2 can't tell if lesions are active or from past)
so t2/bright mri is what most people here who've had mri's have had. no big deal at all, just a lot of banging...
Posted by DamnTics (Member # 8667) on :
to my knowlege (which isnt' much) the white matter are damaged areas of brain tissue where demyelination has occoured. although I have never heard it phrased the way that you say it. Usually they are refered to as "areas of increase signal intensity" or something similar.
hope it helps
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
My MRI showed small "unidentified bright spots" nine years before I was diagnosed with Lyme. The neurologist wasn't concerned. Of course, she also thought that my unrelenting migraines were "rebound headaches."
At the time, I was doing alot of reading, as I thought there was something else wrong with me besides fibromyalgia, and I came across something that said that people with chronic fatigue syndrome often had unidentified bright spots in the brain.
These are small areas of damage. Another MRI nine years after the first showed only one spot.
What did your MRI show? Carol
Posted by slm214 (Member # 5913) on :
I am wondering if they are referring to a gadolinium enhanced lesion. Did they give you an MRI with contrast? You know you have had contrast because they started an IV before the MRI.
Every radiologist has their own phraseology. I have now had 12 MRIs and each one is different.
If you do have a lesion, you need to know where in the brain it is. Which lobe, etc? Anything that is periventricular or by the corpus callosum is of concern.
You also want to know the size and the shape of the lesion. If it is larger than 5mm, it is of concern. Also, is it ovoid in shape?
Make sure you get very specific detail from your neurologist or doctor that ordered the MRI. You also want the radiologist's report and the actual MRI for your records.
They use these markers to determine MS.
Three of the following criteria are currently used to make an MS diagnosis from an MRI:
1 gadolinium enhancing lesion or 9 T2 lesions
1 juxtacortical lesion
1 infratentorial lesion
3 periventricular lesions
Now, Lyme causes many of these same lesions. However, most neurologists do not have that information and do not believe it. Look at some work published by Dr. Galletta who compared the similarity of MS and Lyme lesions on an MRI.
Good luck!
Posted by KevinT (Member # 8682) on :
I had the MRI done because I was having deep nagging eye pain for about a year. I grew up on the North Folk of Long Island NY. Just miles from Lyme CT. Back in 1972 I remember the bulls eye rash. Playing with other kids it was pointed out hey it looks like a bulls eye. Cool I thought. Since then I was sick with Pneumomia or broncits two or four times a year during my high school years. At 23 was learing to read EKG the teacher took me aside and said to have my T-Wave checked out. Heart Dr. said it was fine. At 24 went to hospital becaue of heart palpitations told was panic attack. At age 31 I was dyslexic? At age 32 arthitis was DX. Was HLA-B27+ I have been tested for Lyme many times came up neg- so I was not treated. I never knew that lyme can be so painful. I also never knew that the error rate was so high. So in short the MRI came back normal obits of the eye. However white matter and very bright MRI was seen. My Family Dr said that I am depressed. Rheumatology Dr. said that it is stress. I just went to a LLMD. Waiting for the tests to come back. I have been suffering for a long time. At its worst I pray God just take me. Not to worry you. I would not harm myself. But if you ever had the pain you know what I mean.
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
I have a white matter lesion on my brain too that showed up on MRI w/contrast. Correct, its demyelination from the Lyme, more then likely. Sometimes treatment makes them go away. This is why so many of us have been diagnosed with MS.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Kevin: If the Lyme bacteria invade the nerves to the eyes, all kinds of problems result. Lyme can cause all kinds of mental health problems, including depression, panic attacks, attention deficit, tics, and obsessive compulsive.
A bullseye rash is now considered definative when diagnosing Lyme.
Yes, unrelenting pain can make life feel like not worth living. I referred myself to a neurologist, who put me on Zoloft to try to stop the migraines. It didn't stop them, but it raised my pain threshold, so they "didn't hurt as much." At the same time, I referred myself to a rheumatologist, because I thought I might have arthritis. He diagnosed fibromyalgia. The Zoloft also seemed to help the fibromyalgia pain a little. Not that the rheumy would have thought of that, hah.
It is a crime that doctors cannot diagnose obvious cases of Lyme. And that the testing is so poor.
What happened that you decided to go to an LLMD? I'm curious, because very few people figure this out on their own. I finally pursued a Lyme diagnosis because of another person with fibromyalgia who turned out to have Lyme.
I'm sorry that you are having such a difficult time. This disease is ruining the lives of so many people.