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Have Multiple Sclerosis. Taking Copaxone Injections. Experiencing Pain In Head. Should I Go For MRA?

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Posted on Fri, 12 Apr 2013
Question: Hi, I was diagnosed with MS last year after a multitude of symptoms and an attack. I am currently taking daily Copaxone injections as therapy and have been since approximately the latter part of July, last year. Since about mid to late August, I have been experiencing very brief and intermittent pains inside my head. It feels like a very intense pressure building up in the center of my head and expanding outwards, affecting not just one specific region of my head, but the entire thing. It will expand outwards and get extremely intense for just a second or two, then reduce to nothing and I feel fine. It only lasts for a few seconds at a time, and sometimes I can go days or weeks without experiencing it at all. My neurologist ordered an MRA without contrast to verify there wasn't any anurisms and everything checked out OK. But again, it was without contrast. Should contrast XXXXXXX have been used for the MRA for this? Also, could it possibly be brain lesions from my MS attack last summer healing?
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Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (11 minutes later)
Hi,

Thank you for posting your query.

In MRI, there is a special technology, where we are able to study the blood vessels in detail, including the presence of any aneurysms or other vascular malformations without contrat study. However, in a CT scan or a conventional angiogram, one would have to give a contrast XXXXXXX injection in order to study the blood vessels.

So, normal MRA rules out any possibility of aneurysms.

Old lesions could cause similar symptoms. In any case, your neurologist has excluded anything significant with the new MRA study.

I hope it helps.

Please get back if you require any additional information.

Best wishes,

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad,
My personal URL on this website: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar
My email: YYYY@YYYY
My Website: WWW.WWWW.WW My blog: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.com/

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Sudhir Kumar

Neurologist

Practicing since :1994

Answered : 6232 Questions

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Have Multiple Sclerosis. Taking Copaxone Injections. Experiencing Pain In Head. Should I Go For MRA?

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query.

In MRI, there is a special technology, where we are able to study the blood vessels in detail, including the presence of any aneurysms or other vascular malformations without contrat study. However, in a CT scan or a conventional angiogram, one would have to give a contrast XXXXXXX injection in order to study the blood vessels.

So, normal MRA rules out any possibility of aneurysms.

Old lesions could cause similar symptoms. In any case, your neurologist has excluded anything significant with the new MRA study.

I hope it helps.

Please get back if you require any additional information.

Best wishes,

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad,
My personal URL on this website: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar
My email: YYYY@YYYY
My Website: WWW.WWWW.WW My blog: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.com/