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What Causes Mass In Brain?
Daughter, 35, been told, via two MRI s, she has mass on her brain which could be a scar due to a childhood fever or if not, is in such a position in brain (middle) that it is inoperable. Symptoms were headaches (which have subsided when cutting out caffeine cola) and occasional fuzzy vision. Currently, she will get MRI every three months to see if mass is growing. Can you tell me more about scaring on brain due to fever? How common? How high of fever would she have had to had for such to occur? As her mother, other than normal childhood stuff, ear infections, chicken pox (she was quite ill then), I can t remember a time of high fever. Just hoping of course the mass is a scar, but how is that determined for sure? If mass does not change, ever, obviously that would indicate a scar - right? Thanks for your help. Karli
Thu, 26 Feb 2015
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.
It is important to see the MRI scan images to know the location and size of the mass. The doctor means to say that during childhood she might have had an illness causing inflammation of the brain. On recovery, the brain in the affected area might have formed a scar. This happens during healing. The tissue in the brain forms a scar. This is only a possibility.
It will help to get serial MRI scans done and any growth in the mass to be observed. Since the doctor has mentioned it as a scan that means it is showing benign features on imaging. Such a mass can cause problem by increasing the pressure of fluid inside the brain. Also its location makes it inoperable. Therefore if there is further growth and block to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain then a shunt might have to be placed to regulate the brain pressure and this will also treat symptoms like headache which is present due to the mass or scar.
To confirm that the mass is a scar, additional MRI techniques might be used like MR spectroscopy which will tell the chemical composition of the mass by studying the molecular composition in the scar region.
Thanks for writing in.
It is important to see the MRI scan images to know the location and size of the mass. The doctor means to say that during childhood she might have had an illness causing inflammation of the brain. On recovery, the brain in the affected area might have formed a scar. This happens during healing. The tissue in the brain forms a scar. This is only a possibility.
It will help to get serial MRI scans done and any growth in the mass to be observed. Since the doctor has mentioned it as a scan that means it is showing benign features on imaging. Such a mass can cause problem by increasing the pressure of fluid inside the brain. Also its location makes it inoperable. Therefore if there is further growth and block to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain then a shunt might have to be placed to regulate the brain pressure and this will also treat symptoms like headache which is present due to the mass or scar.
To confirm that the mass is a scar, additional MRI techniques might be used like MR spectroscopy which will tell the chemical composition of the mass by studying the molecular composition in the scar region.
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