Hi,i am still wondering what this actually means.Does it mean the lesion is growing and can it just carry on? and could it be mistaken as MS and actually be cancer or something else.Sorry if this has been asked before.
I believe lesions gradually get worse as part of the MS. Each relapse causes more lesions and in turn more symptoms. After my 3rd relapse my lesions were more pronounced and I had a few extra ones. If it was cancer they’d have told you straight away, just the joy of MS!
Hi Clara, No, it’s nothing to do with the lesion itself getting worse, and certainly nothing to do with cancer! Strictly speaking, it means the IMAGE of the lesion was “enhanced” by the addition of contrast - i.e. I assume you came out of the scanner some time during the process, and had an intravenous injection of something that felt cold? The use of contrast helps distinguish between old and currently active lesions. Images of those that are current will “enhance” with contrast; older ones won’t. Thus it’s a way of telling how active the disease is at any given moment. An “enhancing” lesion isn’t a worse kind of lesion - it’s just one that is new or recent. Old lesions would once have been “enhancing” when they were new, had they been scanned with contrast. So it’s just to do with the scanning techniques used, not an especially horrible kind of lesion. I suppose an active lesion is more horrible than an old one, because it would be preferable not to have any active ones. However, ALL lesions were active once, but scans don’t always catch them in the act! It just means you’ve got some that have been snapped while they were still busy. Hope this helps, Tina x
Hi,thanks for explaining i am a bit of a panic merchant.So will the lesion eventually fade and are there probably other areas which have faded over time and now can’t be seen?
Hi,
Yes, like more familiar types of scar, some can eventually fade to the point of disappearing. Others will leave marks. So it’s possible you’ve had some in the past, which can no longer be seen.
Tina