Margaret's MRI scans

this page begins with comparison of scans December 2000/February 2001
For earlier scans, start here...

25 June 2001 - note - two large images to load here, will take time....

See comments in NEWS for this date.

The two rollover images here are of scans taken today:
[a] with the cursor away from the image - T1/Cor + Gad - an image to show, in the bright enhanced areas, what may be tumour or may be radiotherapy product.
[b] with the cursor anywhere on the image - Cor - Flair - an image to show fluid build up, in bright areas. You will observe that this brightness looks more fluid, with some swirling, than the [a] image.

5 April 2001

The news is good! The radiologist states:
"Compared with the previous scans the shallow rim of enhancing tissue around the anterior and medial aspects of the surgical cavity appears slightly less extensive than previously consistent with a further response to treatment..."

It was possible in February to make an overlay comparison of the T1/TRAN+GAD scans. But the slides appear on different parts of the film sheet this time. So I have made a comparison 5 February-5 April of the coronal T1 images + GAD, that is, the images produced when the contrast chemical gadolinum is injected into the arm. The February image is visible when the cursor is not over the image. The April image appears when the cursor is moved over the image. As last time, I enter the reservation that these are not pictures of precisely the same 'slices', and there are variations in brightness, etc. between the images. As to whether her cheeks are chubbier, as it appears, I will have to duck away and check! But there is a slight difference in scale between the two images - look at the 5cm scale between each image, it's slightly longer in the April scans.

5 February 2001: Margaret went for an MRI scan on 5 February, before travelling to Sydney for a review of the results of the debulking operation of 6 November, with Dr Ray Cook, neurosurgeon, on 7 February, and for an appointment on 12 February with Dr Helen Wheeler, neuro-oncologist, prior to round 3 of temozolomide, due on 14 February.

The previous scan, on 13 December, was the first following the operation, took place after several weeks taking thalidomide (commenced 21 November) and before starting temozolomide. Comparison of the scans of 13 December and 5 February is a study of the impact of these cytotoxic substances on the tumour, daily thalidomide and two five day courses of temozolomide. On 13 December there was a small 'rind' of tumour evident in the area of surgical excision and small spot of possible tumour growth (these factors referred to in the report quoted below as 'peripheral ernhancement'). There was also, on 13 December, a bulge in the left temple, reflecting continuing leakage of CSF, post-operation (referred to below as 'scalp collection').

The radiologist's report concludes:
Large post operative cavity in left frontal lobe with areas of peripheral enhancement post contrast. Comparing today's study with the previous MRI, the areas of peripheral enhancement have now diminished in size and extent. The scalp collection has also substantially diminished in size.

Here are two comparative scans of scans, as roll over image - put the cursor over the first and the second will appear - but note that these are images taken on different occasions and are not precisely through the same section, so comparison should not be extravagant. These are both technically T1/tran+gad images.

The image you can see when the cursor is NOT over the image is 13 December.
Identify a piece of tumour [white]. Move the pointer from outside to inside the picture.
When the cursor moves onto the image, the image shifts to the scan of 5 February.

When you wish to return to the news page click on the image.