Hello
I am not sure on this but I thought the "with and without" contrast was more for checking for annurisms (spelling)?..and blood flow..probably just doing the routine check off of what you dont have I am not a doctor in any way and please someone correct me on this if I am wrong but if they are looking for leisions I dont think they do contrast do they..I dont remember it being used on my last MRI...just my thought...but I do remember them using "with and without" contrast 2 years before I was dx'd and they were specifically looking for blood flow and anurisms at the time...perhaps thats why they didnt find any leisions then?..just my 2cents
Peace to you and yours
Fred

Actually, they do use contrast when looking for active MS lesions. The gadolinium (not sure of spelling) isn't supposed to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in normal individuls.

In people with MS (especially during an exacerbation), the BBB becomes more porous, and the gad slips through, highlighting active lesions as bright white spots in the white matter of the brain and/or spinal cord. Old lesions show up as darker spots.

So, typically people with MS have an MRI without contrast first, and then have the gadolinium injected about halfway through the test, with the MRI repeated after a few minutes to allow the contrast to circulate through the body.

Hope this helps,
-Karen

Thankyou, maybe the neuro will order more MRI's (i'm sure) or maybe the spinal will help. I don't know, I just want to have all the areas covored!

What Romika said about the dye contrast is the same thing the technician told me when I had the contrast half way through. That's way I was surprised when no contrast was done on the MRI I had a couple of weeks ago. True, the new scan showed no lesions, but it also did not show if any of the lesions had become active. Since I was experiencing new symptoms, I was quite surprised that the contrast wasn't used. Oh, well!

No wonder it takes so long to be dx'd! They don't know what their doing!!! :) So, would we be wrong to ask for contrast?? OR would they look at us like we're idiots??? Oh well, guess I've got all the time in the world!

I don't think it would be wrong to ask the prescribing doctor if he/she is planning on contrast with the MRI. As the patient, you have a right to information about your treatment. It's curious to me that your doctor ordered it and the radiologist didn't do it.

I will talk to my doc next time I see him. This is all new to him to. He doesn't know to much about MS, I tell him. And he has brought in a book on MS and went through it with me, so I know he wants to do the right thing. It's going to take a while to get in to see a neuro, lots of paperwork to be able to get in. So, I'm learning patience!