First, I am not a doctor or radiologist. My comments below are worth exactly what you paid for them. For the real answer, take the report to your neurologist along with a CD of your MRI and ask them to show you on the scans what the radiologist is talking about in the report. If they won't do that, get a new doctor.

With that said, I highlighted the parts that stood out to me above. The part about white matter lesions is what is important for possible MS. that language is exactly what a radiologist says on nearly every MRI report I have ever seen posted when people ask about MS. What it means is that there are white spots in the white matter that they don't expect to see there, but that they are not in a size or shape or location that gives the radiologist any clues about what they might be. Thus they are referred to as non-specific. Without an MRI with contrast during an active flare, you won't usually get much more than that from any radiologist's report. They will sometimes say something like "may be demylenating process" or "possible MS in this age group", and sometimes will recommend clinical correlation of symptoms to achieve diagnosis.

One thing to realize is that the radiologist rarely has access or takes the time to look at the clinical file when reading an MRI. So they are just looking purely at the scan to see if anything appears to be abnormal. Because MS is a disease that does not have a "classic" presentation that can be seen in a single test or scan result, it will always be a diagnosis using clinical evidence and symptoms as well as tests and scans. So the radiologist is just saying they see something unusual (the lesions), but they don't know what they are and they appear "stable" which probably means the size and quantity are similar from previous scans. It is up to your neurologist to look at your other test results and symptoms and compare them to the number of lesions you have and determine if you meet the McDonald Criteria for diagnosing MS. if you haven't looked at that before, go google it, and it will help you understand what your doctor needs to see to give an MS diagnosis.

As for the spinal MRI, the radiologist says two kind of contradictory things, noting compression of the spinal cord and narrowing of the canal to 9mm (normal is anywhere from 15 to 27mm), but said there was no stenosis, and that the open space around the nerve was still present (foramen patent). What he probably means is that the canal has narrowed and the disc is pressing on the cord, but because there is still open space, the spinal cord is not being pinched (no stenosis). The key is the statement of no cord lesions, so anything that might have to do with MS appears to be only in your brain according to the MRI results. Unless you are having motor difficulties in areas served by the nerves around C5-C6, I would not think the spinal findings are very significant. Again, ask your neurologist to explain this...I am not a doctor and you are paying the neurologist way more than you pay me.

Finally, understand that most neurological disorders (MS included) are diagnosed by a process of elimination. It can take a long time to get a diagnosis for anything, MS or otherwise. What is important is that your doctor is not dismissing your symptoms or test results as "nothing". If they are, get another doctor. If they won't sit and patiently explain what they see on the scans to you, get another doctor. If you don't have a neurologist yet and these reports are going to a primary care doc who is not qualified to read the scans themself, ask for an appointment with a neurologist. Most of all, if you are comfortable that you have the right doctors, then be patient with them and help them find the right diagnosis for what is ailing you.

And lastly, good luck and keep coming around! We don't bite...much.