Does This Look Like Multiple Sclerosis ?
Multiple sclerosis will show demyelination
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that has demyelination, which can be seen on MRI, and so the report from the MRI that showed demyelination can be consistent with MS. The evaluation and diagnosis for MS is much more complicated than this however, and will take into consideration the clinical signs and symptoms as well as the MRI and other testing. The typical MS patient is a young adult who has distinct neurological episodes such as painful vision loss in one eye, double vision, dizziness, or pain on one part of the body, which develops over hours to days and then gradually goes away over weeks to months. An MRI during these episodes will usually show demyelination in the area of the symptoms, with findings that the radiologist can identify as likely MS lesions.
All of this information is put together to determine likelihood of MS and whether to start treatment. If you have more information about the signs and symptoms of the patient and want to discuss more the likelihood of having MS, please let me know and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Thanks.
Multiple sclerosis can show demyelination on MRI
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask a Doctor'. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that has demyelination, which can be seen on MRI, and so the report from the MRI that showed demyelination can be consistent with MS. The evaluation and diagnosis for MS is much more complicated than this however, and will take into consideration the clinical signs and symptoms as well as the MRI and other testing. The typical MS patient is a young adult who has distinct neurological episodes such as painful vision loss in one eye, double vision, dizziness, or pain on one part of the body, which develops over hours to days and then gradually goes away over weeks to months. An MRI during these episodes will usually show demyelination in the area of the symptoms, with findings that the radiologist can identify as likely MS lesions.
All of this information is put together to determine likelihood of MS and whether to start treatment. If you have more information about the signs and symptoms of the patient and want to discuss more the likelihood of having MS, please let me know and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.