Hi tcl16 and welcome to NT. As the others have said, don't panic. I am not a neuro or a radiologist, but I can help maybe work out a little bit of what can be taken from those results. We have all experienced what you are going through...looking at the results and trying to figure out what they mean. Just keep in mind that, as Dejibo said, an MS dx is often a process of elimination. So don't necessarily expect to go into your neuro appt. and have them give you any kind of a dx with absolute certainty based on these results alone. It may take quite some time to figure out exactly what ails you, and getting excitable or worried won't make it happen any quicker.

So you are doing the right thing in trying to educate yourself so you know what questions to ask the doctors, but don't go in with an opinion already formed. Listen to them...they are experts and you are paying them good money for their opinion. The rest of us are giving ours free of charge, and sometimes you do get what you pay for. With that said, here is my non-professional opinion of what you can get from those results.

The phrase "A 9 mm focus of increased T2 and FLAIR signal is present" simply means there is a bright spot on two of the different MRI scan types. Determining what that bright spot really represents is the million dollar question. Bright spots can represent areas where nerves have been stripped of their protective myelin sheath (Demylination) or they can represent other things like masses, blood flow abnormalities, etc. The type of scan it shows up on or whether it gets bright when they inject contrast into your veins can help the docs understand what the spot represents. I am not smart enough to walk you through that one.

The phrase "There is no obvious mass-effect." I believe is an indication that the radiologist doesn't see in the signal an indication of an abnormal mass of tissue such as a tumor. He doesn't say it isn't a mass...but if a mass is present to cause the signal, it isn't obvious on the MRI.

The discussion of the intracerebral vessels refers to blood vessels and just indicates no evidence of blockages or things like strokes. Finally, the conclusion "Although it may represent a focus of demyelination other causes cannot be completely excluded." gives a general direction for the neurologist to look. Demyelination is when some process is damaging the myelin that protects the bundles of nerves that make up most of our brain tissue. MS is just one of many diseases that can cause demyelination, and it is up to your neurologist to look at the rest of your blood work, symptoms, etc. and determine which of them is most likely. He may have already narrowed it down to a few things, but just because MS and migraines were the two he mentioned, don't jump to any conclusions until you actually see him.

As Dejibo said, they typically won't give an MS diagnosis with just one spot on an MRI, unless you also have a history of clinical symptoms and other test results such as spinal tap results that point towards MS. Do a search for "Multiple Sclerosis Diagnostic Criteria" and it will help you understand what the neuro will be looking for before giving any kind of dx. I wasn't aware of the diagnostic criteria when I first saw the neurologist after getting an abnormal MRI. I walked out of my first appt completely misunderstanding what she told me, and was quite shocked when she told me I did have MS two years later. Had I read the criteria first, I would have better understood what she was saying when she said I had too few lesions in the wrong places to get a dx that day.

Good luck and again, welcome to NT. Keep asking questions...we all have been where you are and understand the confusion and fear involved.