I Had An MRI Of My Brain And Pituary Gland Because Of An Elevated Prolactin

Posted on Sun, 8 Nov 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 8 Nov 2020 Answered on

Tue, 20 May 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I had an MRI of my brain and pituary gland because of an elevated prolactin test and it revealed 2 things that concern me. First of all, I'm 53 years old. The results showed.
Supratentorial chronic white matter changes consistent with gliosis / chronic small vessel ischemia.
Acute superimposed upon chronic maxillary sinusitis.
What does all this mean and what do I need to do for care moving forward to take care of this? What are my chances of having a stroke or heart attack with this condition? Thanks!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (11 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Changes mainly related to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Chronic small vessel ischemia is seen mostly in cases of not well controlled high blood pressure, the small vessels of the brain become slowly more stiff and narrow.

High cholesterol levels contribute to these changes.

These changes predispose to stroke so treatment is necessary.

Correct control of the blood pressure, lowering the cholesterol levels, using blood thinners such as aspirin ( if you are not allergic to it ) are necessary measures to stop the progression of this condition.

Acute maxillary sinusitis is an infection of the maxillary sinus and should be treated initially with antibiotics.

High blood pressure may damage the vessels of your heart as well so, the blood pressure should be maintained within normal levels to minimize the risk of heart attack too.

Discuss with your Doctor these issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana