Alternate Diagnosis? Help reading MRI

[Justice]

I have a crackling noise in my ear, accompanied by dizziness, fullness, occasional pain, and some other mild symptoms, but the radiologist said there was nothing on my MRI.  Is there another diagnosis I should be investigating?  Would a sinus infection cause the same symptoms?  The tinnitus has been around for four years, but the dizziness just started - but it increases with the volume of the crackling sound.

When I looked at my MRI, I thought I saw something, but I'm not sure I'm looking at the right place.  Is there a web site that shows examples of MRI's with and without tumors I could visit so I would know where I should be looking? 

If my doctor agrees with the radiologist, I could still send the film to Johns Hopkins, but I hate to sound like Chicken Little.  (A friend had part of her pituitary gland taken out because a doctor mistook it for a tumor, so I don't want to get too agressive here.)

Justice

[Mark H]

Justice,
I'm pretty much in the same boat. I've had several MRI's over the years due to neurofibromatosis and they never showed anything 'till the last couple. I do have some tumors in the white matter that have been there a while, but the last 2 MRI's showed what they are calling possible bilateral AN's. They are still real small, about 2mm. Being the....well...strange person that I am, I'm trying to convince them to grow a little bit so maybe I can get a definite decision on what they really are. I'm not much worried either way, I just kinda want to know.   
Mark

[Larry]

Justice,

I'd get a second opinion and that would mean an MRI at a different place. Not knowing tends to make you think the worst. You know your body better than the doctors so keep investigating until you find out.

Laz

[shoegirl]

Justice,

I did find websites that had a couple of examples of acoustic neuroma.  If I can track them down again I will forward you the web address.
Have you tried searching under "MRI Acoustic Neuroma pictures" or films?  The sites I found were all medical sites or reports.  I'll try to find one for you.

[shoegirl]

Hi,

Me again, if you go onto yahoo's site and do a search for "MRI Acoustic Neuroma pictures" you will find some images that Yahoo has in their image search and some other sites come up that you can look at too.

Good Luck - hope you find what you need.



 

[Battyp]

Justice out of curiosity did they do the mri with contrast or without?  I know I had mri's done without contrast earlier and they saw nothing and this time they did it with contrast and it pops the tumor out to be detected easier.  Otherwise it just sorta blended in.  You know you the best and get a second opinion until you feel confident with the outcome.  I just went through something where one doctor told my son it was all in his mind on two seperate occasions.  had further testing at a different facility by a different doctor and they confirmed our original diangosis prospect the first doctor completely dismissed as unfounded.

[***Leigh***]

Contrast, dont talk to me about the contrast... my veins play hide and seek any time they bring it out and I end up looking like a battered women!  Not to mention the fact that it stings like hell when they don't get your vein first time.  Fell in love with this years doctor who got my vein first time.. how surprised was I!!!

L

[Captain Deb]

After having 8 sticks to start an IV, I now warn anyone poking me about my squirrely veins.  I also drink a ton of water the day before and that morning and DEMAND their best "sticker."
Capt Deb

[bonehead]

With contrast an AN shows up plain as day.  I was just in for my two year follow up MRI, which was clear by the way.  As I sat up on the table after the scans, I looked in the control room (25 feet away) and freaked out as I saw brain scans posted on the board which clearly had an AN.  The tech had put up my originals for comparison. 

[Battyp]

Bonehead Congrat on your clear pics!  I'd have fainted too if they did that to me esp if they had the pic up backwards!

It took them 45 mins and 2 guys last time for sticks..I'm thinking of trying a new place next time as the hospital didn't have any problems.  Ok, so I was a little out of it and don't remember much besides the bugs crawling on the ceiling  lol  Hospital do not like when you insist loudly that they have bugs.  Wonder why?

Justice did you find the pics you were looking for?  I can always send you an email with a pic of mind on the mri if you'd like just shot me an email with your regular address.

[Justice]

Thanks for the advice about an image search.  I don't know why I didn't think of it.  I found several good images, printed them out, then went through my film.  I found a 1/2cm bright white circle right in the spot that one of the pictures had a fainter spot with an arrow pointing at it saying "small AN."  So perhaps the radiologist didn't know what he was looking for.  (It's a small town, s/he may never have encountered one before.)  Now I have to hope that my ENT knows what they look like.  

The good news is that it's apparently small.  Still within range of FSR treatment, if I can get my insurance to agree to that course.

You are right about the contrast.  It is invisible in the ones without it.  Thank God I had written Johns Hopkins about what they recommended.  They asked for "with and without" but my doctor had only ordered without.  I called him and insisted that he change the order.

As for the pain of the contrast injection, I absolutely hate needles of any kind, so I had my doctor perscribe one valium.  My relaxed state for the MRI more than made up for the jokes at the pharmacy over my purchase of one pill  One hint, though: if you ask your doctor for a valium, make sure he signs the side that allows for generic substitutions.  My pharmacist said she had actually never actually seen a brand-name valium before.  It has a little V cut out of the middle of it and cost $3.00!

Thanks to everyone who answered,
Justice

[Battyp]

Heck why buy one when your insuance will give you a 30 day supply.  LOL>  I've learned with some meds I ask for the max for a month as they charge you the same with the insurance and then I have it if I ever need it! 

Glad your making progress getting your diagnosis.  Without the contrast it is hard to see especially if the radiologist has never really seen one before. 

[Justice]

Well, I should be happy, but I'm just confused.  Two radiologists, my doctor and an audiologist all insist that the big white spot on my MRI is not an AN.  The doctor says it is a "Brain Tonsil" which sounds a lot like a "Brain Cloud" to me (I'm looking for a volcano to jump into.) 
The audiologist says it is impossible for me to have a tumor on my acoustic nerve without it showing up in a hearing test.  I evidently hear fine - when the crackling noise doesn't drown out the other sounds. 
None of them have an alternative diagnosis that explains the vertigo.
Any ideas anyone?  Anyone else heard of brain tonsils?

Thanks,

[Battyp]

I've heard of brain tonsils but disagree with you the An showing up on a hearing tests.  I had a normal hearing test twice and they said my tinitus was from old age (apparently when you turn 40 your suppose to have tinitus  lol) I had normal hearing until after I had complained of symtpoms for 6 mos then I lost 50% of my hearing. 

I'm not sure what brain tonsils do but I've seen that word in my research and I think it was mentioned on my MRI.  Boppie is a nurse maybe she knows...

[Larry]

Justice,

Sounds like you need to see a complete set of new quacks. Hopefully this lot is right and you don't have an AN - we really don't want you in our club!!!  however, if it is, you need to know so you can plan what to do.

cheers



Larry