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ms dx criteria

Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:40 pm
by tara97
I have MS symptoms but it includes lesions on my spinal cord that did not contrast. VEP and MS panel negative also. After a 5 year remission what ever I have is presenting symptoms again. I went to the neurologist yesterday and he said that MS has pretty much been ruled out because I dont have lesions on the brain. I have seen 4 different neurologists and 2 of them saw my MRI report and ordered the tests specifically for MS. 1 told me I had TM and 1 told me to see a neurosurgen for the syrnx that was also on my MRI. DO lesions have to be on the brain as part of the Dx criteria? Can you say MS is ruled out with out another diagnosis? For the record I believe that I have CIDP because I already had AIDP (GBS) so it seems logical to me but not the doctors. I finally convinced one to order an EMG though.

Re: ms dx criteria

Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:17 pm
by NHE
tara97 wrote:I have MS symptoms but it includes lesions on my spinal cord that did not contrast. VEP and MS panel negative also. After a 5 year remission what ever I have is presenting symptoms again. I went to the neurologist yesterday and he said that MS has pretty much been ruled out because I dont have lesions on the brain. ... DO lesions have to be on the brain as part of the Dx criteria?
In a word, no, but it is common for them to be in the brain as well as the spinal chord, or only in the brain. As far as I know, any of the three possibilities or combinations thereof are seen in patients. I don't think you can rule out MS just because lesions are only in the spinal chord. Have you had a spinal tap? Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid is pretty common in ruling out other diseases or deciding that a MS diagnosis is consistent with your symptoms and other results.

NHE

Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:27 pm
by tara97
I have had 4 spinal taps three of them looking for elevated protiens seen in GBS and one was an MS panel. Only the first yielded the GBS diagnosis the others were neg.