Is it possible to have ms with a negative mri

Michael Rozenfeld] Malcolm reached out to DocPanel due to concern for a missed diagnosis. He was reportedly having symptoms suspicious for multiple sclerosis but his MRI was initially read as completely normal. Based on my review of his MRI, the exam was not normal. Malcolm had significant findings that were certainly suggestive of, but not entirely specific for, multiple sclerosis. They were small, but they were most definitely there.

I took the second opinion report to my new neurologist, and now I am being considered for possible Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. I have found that the most important thing people in my shoes can do is be your own advocate. MS is such an odd and individual disease. Patient education materials, such as the accompanying guide to lumbar puncture, may help allay such fears. Often, the more convenient MRI scans is performed instead of the lumbar puncture. While MRI has become the most commonly used surrogate marker for MS, it is neither percent sensitive nor percent specific.

The lumbar puncture remains a simple examination that yields valuable information. Together, a negative MRI scan of the brain with contrast, a negative lumbar puncture with OCB and CSF index, and a negative evoked potentials study form a very powerful argument against a diagnosis of MS.

MRI studies can also be used for treatment decisions like determining the efficacy of a treatment plan. MRI with gadolinium contrast agent — One way to measure disease activity with MS is to use gadolinium.

Typically, a series of MRI images are taken without gadolinium. Then the patient is taken out of the MRI machine and gadolinium contrast agent is administered intravenously. The patient is then put back in the MRI and a new set of pictures are taken with the gadolinium contract agent. See page e Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm v. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. Published online Apr 2. Carsten Finke , MD.

Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. From the Department of Neurology C. Corresponding author. Correspondence Dr. Finke ed. Funding information and disclosures are provided at the end of the article. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. See " Normal brain imaging accompanies neuroimmunologically justified, autoimmune encephalomyelitis ", e This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.