MRI Results(3)

Pdxnewbie

I am not sure if this post is appropriate for this forum but here goes. My wife has had symptoms of dementia for over 3 years but we only recently had her primary care physician consulted. The 10 minute test scored very poorly and he requested an MRI.

I read  the results of the MRI and discussed them with the PCP. It seems they are inconclusive leading to an assumption of alzheimer's.  I was wondering if others have a different opinion of these observations:

CEREBRUM: There is atrophy with sulcal and ventricular prominence, however the
prominence of the lateral and third ventricles is out of portion to the
prominence of the fourth ventricle. Periventricular and deep matter T2 and FLAIR
hyperintense signal supratentorial lesions are noted . There is no abnormal
extra-axial fluid collection. The central T2 arterial vascular flow voids are
normal No evidence of hemorrhage, mass, or acute infarction. The ventricles are
normal in size and morphology.

The PCP was clear that he would be fine with asking for another opinion from a neurologist to validate his thoughts. The soonest neurologist appointment we could find was out in August but he thought he could find one sooner if we wanted to pursue that.

At this point i am feeling that the concensus is that this is alzheimer's and my son and I need to prepare for what that means -- i just wanted to run it by this audience.

CanyonGal

There were  early changes in my mother’s thinking patterns but major ones after a fall. The MRI showed basically damage from my mother’s fall (sub hematoma) and age related atrophy. The neurologist  ran some tests and said she just had “low IQ” and she just needed some PT and OT. Her short term memory was gone, no logic, no decision or poor judgment, and especially no financial judgment. This person was mentally declining but it took a year before the scores on the MMSE dropped, and she was tested at a different rehab centers, where it was obvious that she had dementia. (That particular neurologist disappeared from that practice too.)

I think family or those who live with the person who has dementia are the ones who notice the changes. My sisters would visit and say something is wrong with mom. But the doctors would say it was just mild cognitive impairment, age related. Mom could showtime, and fool people. It wasn’t until they tested her, years later, that the dementia showed up at stage 5. 

So, sometimes the MRI may not show anything wrong. Sometimes it takes time for changes to appear but you have a baseline now.  

 All I know for sure is you can look at the symptoms of the different stages and until the person reaches moderate dementia, there may not be a diagnosis.

Iris L.

The purpose of the MRI is primarily to rule out evidence of a stroke or tumor.  None was seen.

Ask the doctor about testing for vitamin B12 deficiency or thyroid and other hormonal problems.  Check all medications for memory loss as a side effect.

You might want to look into the use of Aricept or Exelon patch until you get your neurology appointment in August.

Also, now is the time for legal and financial paperwork.

Iris

Pdxnewbie

Thanks for the comments. My wife's MMSE score was very low (8).  At this point she has at least 1 of the stage 6 symptoms (needing a lot of help getting dressed in the morning).

It seems from what i have read that a person can stay in stage 6 for a while (years?) so now my son and I will focus on changes that might indicate a drastic drop in abilities.  Thanks again.

Pdxnewbie

Thanks you Iris -- right now my wife is averse to taking any medications. She takes several now for high blood pressure but nothing new. Her B12 is at the low end of normal and her PCP recommended trying to get that to a higher level.