To Contrast or Not to Contrast
Hi all – I’m in the waiting stage of trying to determine if I have MS. I’ve had quite a few symptoms that seem remarkably MS-like. I have an upcoming c-spine MRI (this Monday!) and my new neuro wants to only look at my spine since I had a brain MRI one year ago with no abnormalities. I’ve had contrast twice in the past 1.5 years for various things and I’m concerned about having contrast again based on my research of contrast retention, accumulation, and toxicity. When I shared my concern with the neuro she said “great question!” and then told me to follow up with the radiologists directly. I don’t want to hinder my chances at diagnosis if I refuse contrast but I also don’t think the risk of contrast is given enough attention and I want to consider long-term implications. Am I being foolish? Any thoughts on whether or not this may still be diagnosable without contrast and/or if I should just bite the bullet? Thanks for your time and thoughts.
, I'm sorry that you didn't receive any responses to your question. MRI with contrast can be very helpful in diagnosing MS because it can show "active" lesions where a current break in the blood-brain-barrier exists. If there are no active lesions, then contrast doesn't help much. If an MRI scan shows both active and non-active (non-enhanced by the contrast) lesions, then it shows that MS damage has happened at two points in time (a requirement for diagnosis). But if you have MRIs conducted at two different points in time and there are additional lesions visible, that can also help to diagnose MS. So, how has your story gone since a year ago? Were you diagnosed with MS? I hope that you are doing well. Best, Lisa, MS Team Member
I commend you for looking deeper into things like the effects from contrast because often things are done to patients without full explanation . You certainly are smart, not foolish.
explained the contrast question well, and yes there are many other tools that can be used to get a final diagnosis. I hope you get your answer soon! Warmly, Debbie (Team Member)
