Does nerve damage show up on an MRI?

[Sneedle]

Making a new post here to take the subject out of a different thread.Does anyone know if PA/B12 deficiency nerve damage would show on an MRI?

I had a clear MRI of the lumbar spine recently to do with lower back pain , and am wondering.

Thank you.

[Technoid]

It can do, if the deficiency progressed to subacute degeneration of the spinal cord.

Some references:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

But if damage was not yet that extensive , there might not be anything on the MRI (good).

Treatment generally (but not always) corrects MRI abnormalities so always best to have MRI before injections.

[Sneedle in reply to Technoid]

OK thanks Technoid, that's good to know. The only comments were related to wear and tear in lower three discs and the rest normal, nothing else so I'm happy 😊. Gp and Physio who used to be a neurology nurse looked at the report and gave me the thumbs up, and I'm improving my back pain with exercises.

[jade_s]

Hiya sorry i said i would reply but got sidetracked! What protocols did they use on your mri? T1, T2, FLAIR, etc? It should say on the report. I think you need the latter 2 to see SACD.

[Sneedle in reply to jade_s]

No worries, I can't see any mention of protocols on the report, it's very plain and simple. Annoying! Also only the lumbar was done and from Technoid 's links it seems to appear first higher up.

It's not something I'm worried about, I just thought 'Oooh I've had a recent spinal MRI, I can rule it out right now!'. But it's not that simple😄

[Technoid in reply to Sneedle]

A paper recently posted by EllaNore 👏 describes a case of partial paralysis of the lower limbs from B12 deficiency. The MRI was clear.

extracts:

"The patient was not able to stand or move her lower limbs, with hypotonia, loss of sensation and proprioception, and a power rating of 0/5. "

...

"Lumbar puncture was done, and the analysis was normal. Herpes simplex and oligoclonal antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were negative. MRI of the brain and whole spine was normal. Nerve conduction study was normal."

...

"By the end of the investigation, the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency was established, and the patient was started on 1 mg of intravenous methylcobalamin (1,000 µg) daily for 10 days, followed by 1 mg intramuscular injection once weekly for another month.

The patient showed immediate response by gradually gaining back her sensation"

As such, while a clear MRI is of course a wonderful thing it is by no means conclusive proof that neurological damage from a B12 deficiency is not present.

ref: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Sneedle in reply to Technoid]

Thanks Technoid, that's very clear.

[tomdickharry]

I don't think so. I recently had a (private) brain MRI because of imbalance and falling. The only comment was 'very slight shrinkage typical of age'.