Demyelination is something that occurs in several different diseases. It is important for medical professionals and patients to know that seeing demyelination on MRI scans is the only way to properly identify it and see what parts of the body it is affecting. This is the best way to tell what the severity of the demyelination is, what the demyelination could be caused by, and what disease the demyelination could be related to. Demyelination is often seen in patients with multiple sclerosis, and it will be present in their central nervous system and spinal cord.
An MRI will typically be ordered if anyone is experiencing neurological symptoms that could be related to demyelination. Since medical professionals can only see demyelination on MRI, it is the most widely used test, both with and without contrast. Symptoms that may lead to an MRI scan include loss of balance, muscle weakness, cognitive difficulties, eyesight problems, tingling or stinging sensations in the body, and more. These could all be related to demyelination, and a MRI scan can show a professional if that is the case. It is important to get a complete MRI scan done to see which part of the body it might be affecting, whether it is the brain, spinal cord, or other areas of the body.
Why Is Demyelination on MRI Scans?
One of the biggest reasons that demyelination is able to show up on MRI scans is because MRI can be used either with or without contrast. This gives the professional two different looks at the same part of the body. This kind of scanning isn’t possible with an X-Ray or a CAT scan.
To prepare for an MRI, a person must remove their clothing and get into a gown. They can’t have any magnetic objects near the machine. The machine is shaped like a tube, and the person will be laid down on a bed and moved into the tube. There will be some noise as the scanning takes place. If contrast is being done, it will either be injected with a needle or done through an intravenous drip. The contrast is released into the body and it may feel cold. After it has had time to spread throughout, another scan will be performed. Then, the medical professional will have the two scans needed to compare and see if demyelination or lesions are present in any part of the body.
