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Real members of MyMSTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.
A MyMSTeam Member asked a question 💭
St Matthews, SC
June 12, 2024
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A MyMSTeam Member

It depends where the lesions are. The spinal tap just checks for spine lesions/damage in spinal cord. I have brain lesions and my spinal tap was negative. A year later I had a spine lesion form and was fully diagnosed. Here they need to check a bunch of boxes before you can be fully diagnosed for legal reasons.

June 14, 2024
A MyMSTeam Member

I had confirmed MS with a negative spinal tap

June 13, 2024
A MyMSTeam Member

I was diagnosed without having a spinal tap so I'm not sure what mine would show.

June 13, 2024
MyMSTeam

Yes, it is possible to have multiple sclerosis (MS) even if your spinal fluid does not show abnormalities. While cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis can help in diagnosing MS by showing elevated levels of certain proteins and antibodies, about 5 to 10 percent of people with a confirmed MS diagnosis do not show any Show Full Answer

Yes, it is possible to have multiple sclerosis (MS) even if your spinal fluid does not show abnormalities. While cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis can help in diagnosing MS by showing elevated levels of certain proteins and antibodies, about 5 to 10 percent of people with a confirmed MS diagnosis do not show any abnormalities in their lumbar puncture results. In such cases, other diagnostic tools like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often used to identify MS lesions in the central nervous system.

June 12, 2024

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