Some had asked about Lyme showing in MRI?

[matis_mom]

Hi,

I cannot remember who had brought this up, but during my "late night research" I run into this and thought it may be useful for someone out there...

 

In chronic Lyme disease, the MRI exam of the brain is positive in about 10-20 % of patients. It can show some white spots (unidentified bright objects- UBO) in various areas, similar to those seen in multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurologic disease of unknown cause that has some overlapping symptoms with Lyme disease, CFS and FM, such as the numbness and tingling or paresthesias. (There are also positive MRI findings in CFS and FM patients as well.)

 

Here is the link to the article...

http://lymeinfo.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/babesia-lyme-disease-bartonella-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgia/

[Bill]

Hi,

I cannot remember who had brought this up, but during my "late night research" I run into this and thought it may be useful for someone out there...

 

In chronic Lyme disease, the MRI exam of the brain is positive in about 10-20 % of patients. It can show some white spots (unidentified bright objects- UBO) in various areas, similar to those seen in multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurologic disease of unknown cause that has some overlapping symptoms with Lyme disease, CFS and FM, such as the numbness and tingling or paresthesias. (There are also positive MRI findings in CFS and FM patients as well.)

 

Here is the link to the article...

http://lymeinfo.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/babesia-lyme-disease-bartonella-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgia/

 

 

My son's last MRI shows 2 (or 3) white spots associated with inflammation. As I understand it, the findings are consistent with Lyme but as you noted, not specific to lyme. My son's first MRI - 5 years ago - showed no irregularities.

 

I remember asking about the various scans years ago when we were trying to figure this out, specifically ones that might show inflammation/enlargement of the basal ganglia. Our neurologist said the problem with these tests is that one has to know the baseline. It is difficult to tell small differences in brain structures without having a baseline for that individual.

 

bill

[aidansmom]

This is very timely for us as Aidan is having an MRI this Tuesday. He is having the brain and pituitary gland done. I am curious if it will show anything. He has had MRI's done - one when he is 19 months which showed delayed myelination and one at age 5 which was normal (he is 8 now and we suspect congenital Lyme). I would not mind if there was something that helped confirm the Lyme diagnosis but I guess that there is a low chance of anything showing based on this article.

 

One of the reasons that we are having this done is because some hormone levels were high amd our LLMD wanted to check pituitary gland. The endocrinologist was not that impressed with the levels of Aidan's hormones so he did not think it warranted the MRI but I since I think Aidan doesn't fit the mold on many things that I decided to go through with the MRI on the LLMD's recommendation.

[pixiesmommy]

It was me, I think. I had a scan around age 12, which would have been the height of my migraines and arthritis, and the tech asked if I was there because of a tick bite. I am currently trying to get my hands on the scan to see if there are lesions. When I followed up with the dr, he pooh-poohed what she said.