My spinal lesions are huge and clear and obvious on my mri. 1cm at C2 and two at T11 T12.
I had an incidential finding of a 'right posterolateral focal discosteophyte at T7 T8 indenting the right side of the thecal sac touching the spinal cord'.
Looks like a great big chink of bone pressing where it shouldn't. Incidential to them maybe but certainly not to me!!

Thanks, Wiz.

I have read that they can shrink (somewhat), so I guess if it was small enough, it might become difficult to detect over time.

Did you have any spinal cord symptoms since 2005?


My eldest daughter tore a ligament (I think that's what it was) in ball (she had to give up the "catcher" position) and was given a MRI for that. The specialist said that the test results came back clear, but that he didn't believe that. He said that based on her symptoms/his exam, she has a this injury, and that 95% of the time when he opens someone up with these symptoms (and a neg MRI) they have what he suspected. She never did go for surgery though ... but she may have to some time in the future.

That's a lot of spinal lesions, April!! Hopefully they are small one's and will stay that way!

Yeah, mine are too, Pud. Have you had a lot of difficulty from them? Do you have brain lesions too? Have you had ON? Have they ever checked you for NMO/Devic's?

Loved your comment "incidental to them" .

Cherie

Seven 'big' brain lesions, three spinal. I don't know if I've had much grief from the spinal as oppose to the brain ones. How do you know what does what and what feels from where? My 'chink' is a problem in that I can't do any stooping, bending with a twist or much bending full stop. It's a sharp pain. I got stuck on my horse the other day! Couldnt throw my leg over!
No ON, just double vision when I'm tired. All started with Bell's which wasn't and TN in Jan this year. Going downhill without brakes at quite some speed.

I'm not even sure I believe that I have SEVEN spinal lesions, mostly because it was the only MRI I ever had that was done only without contrast. It was ordered by my MS doc at the Mellen Center, after diagnosis, and even the MRI technicians were confused enought to call his office to confirm his order. I don't deal with him, just his nurse, and barely. I'd like to know the point of his ordering this MRI with no contrast.

But most of my symptoms are sensory, from tingling to numbness to shocks and pain. It makes sense that I probably have some lesions there.

'no signal void in the paranasal sinuses and mastoids' ?

says to me that your sinus cavities and mastoids are not hollow... good news... your brain has not leaked into your sinuses !!

and I'm shedding my grumpy status. Ooooh, I feel regenerated...

OOpps! I ment to type "There is signal void....
OMG, my bain has leaked into my sinuses The doctor didn't mention it so it can't be anything to worry about!!

The sinuses and mastoid air cells normally contain nothing but air, so they should be devoid of signal. If signal is present, it indicates inflammation or the presence of something which doesn't belong there. So, a signal void there is good.

You may also read references to signal void in your MRI scans of the brain; specifically, in regard to the blood vessels which comprise the Circle of Willis. Flowing blood should give no signal in these arteries (on non-contrast sequences), so you may see a comment like "vessels exhibit normal flow void."

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When they refer to a finding as "incidental," they simply mean that the finding does not directly pertain to the symptoms/diagnosis that prompted the MRI scan referral. Another example of an incidental finding might be the observation that your maxillary sinuses are inflamed; that finding has nothing to do with the MS diagnosis that prompted your physician to order the MRI, but it's *there* and therefore should be reported.

In no way does "incidental finding" mean "of little importance." I recall finding a large brain tumor once while doing a cervical MRI; that was also reported as an incidental finding.

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Oh, I know. I was being a drama queen.

See, it was that Grumpy thing that threw me off.

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