Differentiating Chronic Migraine from MS lesions on MRI
 

Hello, I am not (at least not yet) diagnosed with MS. I'm a 25 year old female, and for the past couple of years, I've been receiving treatment for Chronic Migraine and unrelenting muscle spasms in my face, shoulder, arm, neck, and back.

My doctor recently ordered an MRI of my brain because he thought I may have MS due to some other symptoms I was having, but when I went in for my appointment, he couldn't find my MRI report (or possibly hadn't received it yet from the radiology place).

I have another appointment in April when I'll speak with him about the MRI, and also receive Botox injections. He's also referring me to see an neurologist.

Anyway, in the mean time, I have a copy of my MRI report from the radiologist, which reads in the conclusion section: "Abnormal hyperintense signal predominantly within the periventricular white matter as well as within the left centrum semiovale. Some of lesions have a perpendicular configuration relative to the lateral ventricles. Findings may represent sequelae of demyelinating disease and further evaluation with gadolinium-enhanced imaging is suggested. At that time, saggittal T2 FLAIR imaging should be considered." Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't cover the MRI with contrast.

I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with having both Chronic Migraine and MS, or possibly of receiving a diagnosis of Migraine before a diagnosis of MS.

Moreover, I know that migraines can sometimes cause lesions, so is there a way for me to tell from the report if the locations of mine are more indicative of migraine versus MS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi May, welcome to NeuroTalk.:)

I don't know much about reading MRIs but, the word Demyelination rang a loud
bell. To me, that points to MS rather than Migraines. But you can have both.

Deffinately see a Neurologist and let us know how it goes.:hug:

Thank you! :hug:

My neurologist, in showing me what she was looking at on my MRI scans pointed out to me that elongated oval shaped lesions perpendicular to the ventricles in the periventricular white matter are somewhat characteristic of MS. With that being said, your doctor knows your case history and has access to all of your tests. What I say here is worth exactly what you are paying me for it. Make another appt with your doctor and get his or her input on the scan and form a path forward from there. Even if it is eventually determined to be MS, getting the actual diagnosis can be a long process and you should be prepared to be patient as doctors try to rule out other possibilities. Good luck, and keep us posted on how things are going!