Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group MRI corner sign?

The corners at the top and bottom of some my spinal discs are white tipped. It is just the corners which are white tipped. No other places on my spine showing white. There is a lesion showing on my liver. It is a white circle. I have asked for a rereading of my MRI results.

Shiny corner sign, also known as romanus lesions, or modic type 2 lesions:
http://radiopaedia.org/articles/shiny_corner_sign

I talked with the doctor and he says 'what you have is known as Spinal Arthritis.'

What is that?? My back never stops hurting and I walk very stiffly. I am always so tired.

Any ideas or is this just another way of him telling him I am getting 'old, face it'?

Thank you.

Spinal arthritis, aka spondylitis, of which AS is one type.
Shiny corner sign - goes with spondyloarthritis/spondylitis.

Don't know why he is using a very vague term like "spinal arthritis" instead of spondyloarthritis (unless he can't pronounce it!) but I guess thats what he is meaning.

then I am not losing my mind. I think he was using a vague term because he may have gotten in trouble requesting my medical xrays and MRI files (with my permission). He went directly above my own doctor to do that. Doctor's Code or something.

He has spoken up for me all this time and has always said I have AS. He is an older chiropractor. I wonder if my Lumbar Puncture would have shown something pointing towards AS?

I don't think lumbar puncture would have shown up anything to do with AS, but it would have helped rule out or in MS - not diagnostic on its own, but positive oligoclonal bands in the CSF fluid would indicate MS as long as there were other signs as well (though you can get positive banding in other conditions too, which is why they take the blood test at the same time to rule out some of those).

"Corner Lesions" could be Romanus Lesions a/k/a "shiny corners" or "shining corners" which could be an early sign of Ankylosing Spondylitis. "Corner Lesions" could also be degenerative lesions that are indicative of Osteoarthritis. The best person to make that determination would be the Radiologist who viewed the films and the MD who ordered the MRI to begin with.

"Spinal Arthritis" is a general term that could mean any form of arthritis of the spine. That would include Osteoarthritis or RA, and well as any form of Spondyloarthropathy. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a form of spinal arthritis, however not all patients with spinal arthritis have AS.

Chiropractors are not Medical Doctors. They are not qualified to diagnose Ankylosing Spondylitis. Although they are trained in how to interpret x-ray images as they relate to chiropractic manipulation, they do not receive extensive training in interpreting x-rays and MRIs as they relate to inflammatory arthritis. Again, the expert would be the Radiologist (MD) or the Rheumatologist (MD). If there is an indication that these could be MS lesions of the spine, the expert would be the Neurologist (MD) or again the Radiologist.