- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has a special interest in headache disorders and medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with about 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the Headache Division in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic and works with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Assessment in Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely."
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the MayoClinic.com team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine "Women's Health" named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women.
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Brain lesion: What does it mean?
An MRI revealed that I have a brain lesion, which requires further evaluation. What does the term "lesion" mean? Is it cancer?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
A brain lesion is an area of brain tissue that appears abnormal. In the case of an MRI scan, a lesion is an area that doesn't appear normal on the image. However, the meaning of the term "lesion" in this context is unclear.
In some cases, the characteristics of a lesion seen on MRI aren't specific enough to allow the doctor to make a definite diagnosis. When this occurs, additional evaluation may be needed to determine the cause and significance of the lesion.
Potential causes of a brain lesion include:
- Stroke
- Cancerous and noncancerous brain tumors
- Abnormal connection between blood vessels in the brain (arteriovenous malformations)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Brain injury
- Congenital brain anomalies, such as hydrocephalus
