Hi, hope you don’t mind me posting a question about MRI here, thought it might be the best place. Basically I’ve had symptoms for the past three years which led my GP to suspect Ms. I had already been referred to a neuro in the summer for seizures and blackouts but didn’t get to see her until January. In the meanwhile my GP had requested a brain MRI. These results weren’t available at the time of seeing the neuro and when I presented her with my symptoms she was unaware of anything other than the blackouts and seizures. SO she said I needed an half hour appt with her ASAP so she could examine me properly. I have had that a couple of weeks ago and she has referred me for a brain and spinal MRI. My last MRI in January was reported by gp receptionist to me as normal, which I told the neuro. However she said they weren’t specifically looking for MS so it wouldn’t have been spotted. My question is what’s the difference between an MRI looking for ms and not? Surely if it was there it would have been picked up on the MRI? I trust my neuro and finally feel like I am getting closer to answers, but after being told the MRI was normal I kind of discounted ms.
did you keep the prints from the MRI? If so these should be enough. If not then I guess its possible that they wouldnt have seen it, I do find it unlikely though. My MRI scan was pretty clear, and a neurologist woiuldt have spotted it even if they hadnt been asked to check for it.
BUT I dont have a doctorate, these guys do. Go through the process. Good luck 
No I don’t have the prints from the MRI. I was just told over the phone from gp surgery but the neurologist wants them repeating. The reason she gave me was that it wasn’t set to look for lesions. Just wondered if this was a valid point or not! Or why else she would be repeating them so soon after. My spine wasn’t included last time tho x
Also to mention the neuro consultant told me she doesn’t rely on reports and reviews images herself x
Anyone know anything about this?
Not claiming to know anything about this really but I originally had an MRI from an ENT consultant due to suspected lybrinithitis before diagnosis which raised suspicions for him - then referred to neuro for a second opinion as they both suspected MS based on 1st MRI - had a second MRI through him, which involved spine and xrays etc, so I suppose further investigations are needed for them to confirm. Good luck with investigations, not an easy time but the info they have, the more info they can give you…
I have no idea why she said something like this to you.
My MRI was done just in order to make sure there no ‘uninvited guests’ there and bad enough for me there were, lesions. Nobody was looking for anything really, even the neuro who referred me had been expecting it would have been clear.
And when it comes to lesions - you don’t have to be a doctor to be able to spot them yourself… once the neuro showed me what do they look like, I could easily notice them. Actually, the very first person who told me to go back to neuro as soon as I get the result was the technician, so not a doctor either. She spotted them even before I was given contrast injection.
When it comes to reports, tough, I agree - when I moved to the North-West, on my first appointment at the Walton Centre my neuro told me he had to review my MRI himself and if the CD hadn’t worked I would have had another MRI (I moved from abroad, so there was nothing on my NHS record). Fortunately, it worked and basically, he confirmed everything, but yes, he doesn’t rely on reports either.
Alex xx
So really the brain scan should be clear again then? If I’ve understood correctly?
yeah, it seems to me that if you had anything there, it would’ve come up in the first MRI
She said something about different settings etc when looking for ms but obviously I don’t know the ins and outs. I really do hope that it will be clear again but fr some reason she doesn’t have confidence in the first one done in a different trust in January otherwise she wouldn’t be wasting time and monj sending me for another,
It could possibly be down to the resolution of the scanner? Some, lower resolution scanners, will image the brain in larger ‘slices’, which may not pick up smaller lesions.
Mags x
Did you have an MRI with contrast?If you didn’t,maybe that’s what she means…
Superbecks,
My first MRI showed minor lesions in the brain, the consultant took the word of the MRI team.
My second, same. My third was originally accepted by my neuro until he had a further look with another neuro and found lesions in the spine.
It may well be down to the resolution of the scanner or the fact the lesions, if there, are missed due to the large amount of data that needs analysing, that’s what happened in my case!
Chris.x