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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Brain lesions are abnormal areas of tissue in your brain. Many different abnormalities are called brain lesions until tests and examinations nail down the specific diagnosis. The term "brain lesions" is so broad and so vague that it may refer to:
- The presence of one or many areas of abnormal tissue
- The involvement of small to large areas of your brain
- The severity of the underlying condition, which can range from relatively minor to life-threatening
Most likely, you've learned that you have a brain lesion or brain lesions as an incidental finding after having a brain-imaging test — such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computerized tomography (CT) scan — performed for some reason. On MRI images, for example, brain lesions appear as dark or light spots that don't look like normal brain tissue.
- Vernooij MW, et al. Incidental findings on brain MRI in the general population. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357:1821.
- Wong ET, et al. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of brain tumors. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
- Oliveira-Filho J, et al. Neuroimaging of acute ischemic stroke. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
- Aminoff MJ. Nervous system disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2009. 48th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=12507. Accessed Sept. 16, 2009.
- Gunny RS, et al. Paediatric neuroradiology. In: Adam A, et al. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology: A Textbook of Medical Imaging. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/160396333-3/0/1611/74.html?tocnode=54448112&fromURL=74.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-10163-2..50073-7_4075. Accessed Sept. 16, 2009.
