EEG, MRI, PET, SPECT, CAT SCANS?

[Wilma Jenks]

We have done EEG's and MRI'S

What do the other brain tests show??? Would they be helpful??? for a kid that sits in front of a TV all day long with severe OCD. She is not looking 2 good on the steroid. Doc. took her off Abx. cause it kept her up til 6am.

Man, I am not sure what else to try. We are scheduled 4 IVIG, but if the steroids didn't work....not sure that will have any effect.

[JJMom39]

There have been some past posts about Dr. Chugani in Detroit, who has been doing PET scans on kids suspected of having PANDAS. I know there have been results showing inflammation in the basal ganglia. PET scans seem to be more able to show this inflammation than MRI's. I think I remember reading that Dr. Chugani has been running a study or two using PET scans. Maybe that is something to check into. He is at Children's Hospital of Michigan--if you google him you will find his info. Knowing that there is inflammation in the basal ganglia could give confirmation of PANDAS, or perhaps other auto-immune related inflammation. I don't know if it would tell you anything else or not.

[EmersonAilidh]

We have done EEG's and MRI'S

What do the other brain tests show??? Would they be helpful??? for a kid that sits in front of a TV all day long with severe OCD. She is not looking 2 good on the steroid. Doc. took her off Abx. cause it kept her up til 6am.

Man, I am not sure what else to try. We are scheduled 4 IVIG, but if the steroids didn't work....not sure that will have any effect.

 

MRI is better than a CAT scan as far as the brain is concerned. They both have their niches, i.e. the CAT scan is better for lungs, but MRI's the way to go between those two if you're talking about P.A.N.D.A.S. My last MRI was in 2006 & came back normal. Did yours show anything? What about the EEG? SPECT scan shows blood flow to the brain, which is especially important when picking out specific areas of concern. It can show if you're getting decreased oxygen to the Temporal Lobe, Cerebellum, or in P.A.N.D.A.S. case Basal Ganglia. I don't think I've heard of anyone on here doing that one but it sounds like it could be helpful. I've heard quite a bit about PET scans on here but I've never had one myself. There are probably others who will chime in that know a lot more than I do about that one.

[Wilma Jenks]

My child's EEG showed "abnormal" and...

her MRI, showed sinus infection. I guess I don't need to do anything else if the steroids look like there helping a bit.

[Bill]

There have been some past posts about Dr. Chugani in Detroit, who has been doing PET scans on kids suspected of having PANDAS. I know there have been results showing inflammation in the basal ganglia. PET scans seem to be more able to show this inflammation than MRI's. I think I remember reading that Dr. Chugani has been running a study or two using PET scans. Maybe that is something to check into. He is at Children's Hospital of Michigan--if you google him you will find his info. Knowing that there is inflammation in the basal ganglia could give confirmation of PANDAS, or perhaps other auto-immune related inflammation. I don't know if it would tell you anything else or not.

 

 

I asked our doctor specifically about Dr. Chugani's research. She repeated what I saw elsewhere in literature. While this research is promising it is limited by knowledge of the baseline especially for children. That is, it is difficult to determine inflammation since it's difficult to know the baseline size unless the inflammation is extreme. This was about 18 months ago or so. I have not kept up to date on the research so perhaps it is more mature now.

 

My son has had two MRIs. The first some 5 years ago and it was normal. The second last summer; it showed 3 small lesions consistent with chronic lyme, MS, parkinsons, etc. In the end, I think the latest MRI is just one more piece of information being used to support chronic lyme diagnosis but the results did not change treatment options. In fact, I don't think it gave our neurologist insight one way or another. Just evidence. If we ever get through this (when we get through this), I'll push for another MRI just to see what happens with those lesions.

 

Just another thought, my son's first symptoms were likely some 10 years ago. Whatever is going on, it took some years for anything to show up on an MRI and that's making a huge assumption that the MRI results are even related.

 

bill

Edited May 24, 2011 by Bill

[JAG10]

We have done EEG's and MRI'S

What do the other brain tests show??? Would they be helpful??? for a kid that sits in front of a TV all day long with severe OCD. She is not looking 2 good on the steroid. Doc. took her off Abx. cause it kept her up til 6am.

Man, I am not sure what else to try. We are scheduled 4 IVIG, but if the steroids didn't work....not sure that will have any effect.

 

MRI is better than a CAT scan as far as the brain is concerned. They both have their niches, i.e. the CAT scan is better for lungs, but MRI's the way to go between those two if you're talking about P.A.N.D.A.S. My last MRI was in 2006 & came back normal. Did yours show anything? What about the EEG? SPECT scan shows blood flow to the brain, which is especially important when picking out specific areas of concern. It can show if you're getting decreased oxygen to the Temporal Lobe, Cerebellum, or in P.A.N.D.A.S. case Basal Ganglia. I don't think I've heard of anyone on here doing that one but it sounds like it could be helpful. I've heard quite a bit about PET scans on here but I've never had one myself. There are probably others who will chime in that know a lot more than I do about that one.

 

My dd11 had a SPECT scan through the Amen Clinic when she was 7, before we knew anything about PANDAS, for ADHD. I was told the SPECT scans indicate "activity." They said, basically, her whole brain was over-active, particularly the anterior cingulate gyrus which was described as the "gear shift" of the brain and the becomes "stuck" in those with OCD. It was an expensive, out-of-pocket cost that really just gave a brain picture to her symptoms. I would not repeat it, but Dr. K found it interesting.