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What Does The MRI Scan Report Indicate?
Question: Healthy 36 year old female who had mri of brain for migraines revealing diffuse white matter process noticeably confluent in frontalparietal regions. abnormal for age group. report mentions leukoencephelopathy as possibility. followed up w extensive bloodwork which was normal except for extremely high antithyroid antibodies. very nervous about mri as when I look it up on Internet dementia pops up!
Brief Answer:
Condition not progressive, dementia a clinical diagnosis.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. I suppose this has become a reason for distress as you seem to have made several other queries on the regard of the MRI changes.
I also saw that you haven't had only the one MRI but that you had had a repeat at a distance of 1 year and it showed no changes. That is a good thing as it shows that whatever the process causing those white matter changes it isn't acting anymore, it doesn't seem to progress. It is difficult to determine the cause now, they may have been there for some time, could have been the remains an injury or infection in the past. Also white matter changes have been noticed more frequently in long time migraine sufferers but if that is the case studies haven't shown them to be associated with any cognitive decline.
Dementia is just a latin word meaning "without one's mind", it is not related to MRI changes, one could have dementia with a normal MRI. If you have no changes in your higher mental functions over time you can't be diagnosed with dementia. I would understand your worry after the first MRI, a PROGRESSIVE leukoencephalopathy (latin for disease of white matter) would cause dementia in the long term, but your changes haven't progressed in follow-up MRIs so you should feel reassured now.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Condition not progressive, dementia a clinical diagnosis.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. I suppose this has become a reason for distress as you seem to have made several other queries on the regard of the MRI changes.
I also saw that you haven't had only the one MRI but that you had had a repeat at a distance of 1 year and it showed no changes. That is a good thing as it shows that whatever the process causing those white matter changes it isn't acting anymore, it doesn't seem to progress. It is difficult to determine the cause now, they may have been there for some time, could have been the remains an injury or infection in the past. Also white matter changes have been noticed more frequently in long time migraine sufferers but if that is the case studies haven't shown them to be associated with any cognitive decline.
Dementia is just a latin word meaning "without one's mind", it is not related to MRI changes, one could have dementia with a normal MRI. If you have no changes in your higher mental functions over time you can't be diagnosed with dementia. I would understand your worry after the first MRI, a PROGRESSIVE leukoencephalopathy (latin for disease of white matter) would cause dementia in the long term, but your changes haven't progressed in follow-up MRIs so you should feel reassured now.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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