All scans clear

[kly95]

Hi again,

My dad has had an MRI, CT scan and finally a DATScan, which have all come back clear.
My dad scored 51/100 on the congestive tests which apparently isn’t very good. It is clear he isn’t well & there is something seriously wrong.
Any ideas why scans aren’t showing anything? Or what’s next?
We feel like we’re back at the beginning with this all over again.

Thanks,
K

 

[Palerider]

I think you need to wait for a diagnosis proper. Structural neuroimaging is an important part of a routine dementia assessment to rule out treatable causes of cognitive impairment it does not completely exclude dementia. You need to speak with your dads doctors and see what the thinking is.

 

[kly95]

Thank you for your reply. The issue is, nobody is giving us any support.
He’s spoken with the neurologist but not actually had a face to face meeting and the same with an old age psychiatrist. His doctor is a different one every time we go to our surgery so it’s not consistent & most of them don’t know what’s going on. It’s very stressful.

 

[lollyc]

My mother had CT & MRI reviewed by consultant at memory clinic. She had initially been diagnosed with delirium at a different hospital and scans were taken at that time. Opinion of consultant was no significant changes in her brain. She had some "lesions", but not conclusive, as many people of her age would have them with no ill effects. Unfortunately, I don't think a diagnosis is always black and white. Sometimes there is no apparent cause, but symptoms point to dementia. My mother's is classed as "non specific", for which I read "we don't know why". Absolutely no consolation for you, I know.
We weren't offered further scans, so can't say whether that would have made any difference.
Also of no consolation is that we have had no support either. I foolishly assumed that we would be in a system of clinic / nurse follow ups etc., to monitor the situation, even if there was no treatment. Wrong! Our support was the number of the Alzheimer's Society. Sorry to sound such a doom monger! maybe your experience will ultimately be better than ours.