View Full Version : How accurate is a CT scan for brain tumors?
I’ve been dealing with a myriad of symptoms since January and I finally went in to the emergency as I could not handle it much longer. I have been having blurred vision, headaches (not severe) same spot every time, floaters, dizziness, constant popping in my ears and weakness in my hand when I try to do certain thing like pick up small objects and extreme fatigue as well as just feeling off balance.
I have convinced myself this is a brain tumor because how can I have all of these symptoms at once if it isn’t a tumor.
So while at the emergency room the dr thought it would be wise to do a ct scan. No contrast. It came back showing no abnormalities whatsoever.
He didn’t seem concerned and said folllow up with my primary which I have an appointment coming up in a few weeks and hoping to be referred to neurology
Does anyone know if a CT scan would show a tumor or could it miss one and I definitely need an MRI to be sure?
I’ve tried my hardest to put this worry out of my mind but it is hard when I’m having all of these symptoms and feeling so crummy.
nomorepanic
21-03-18, 23:54
Yes it would show a brain tumour so you have to move on from this now and get some help with the HA.
Lots of your symptoms could be the result of anxiety.
Also, migraines have most of your symptoms as well. Migraines don't necessarily have severe pain, some people get silent migraines which means they get all the pre-migraine signs like disorientation, hyper sensory awareness, problems with speech, over tiredness, yawning a lot and post-migraine: washed out feeling, over tiredness, weakness.
Also, labrynthitis and other inner ear infections can cause issues with balance, headaches, nausea, dizziness etc. Usually they just go in their own time.
Yes it would show a brain tumour so you have to move on from this now and get some help with the HA.
I think you are right. I know that I have suffered from HA in the past but have been doing so well for years. I told myself that if I got a CT and it was clear then I could rest assured that it was nothing sinister. But all that happened was I read that CT's are good for detecting large tumor so I then have it in my head that only an MRI wouldn't really show for sure.
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Lots of your symptoms could be the result of anxiety.
Also, migraines have most of your symptoms as well. Migraines don't necessarily have severe pain, some people get silent migraines which means they get all the pre-migraine signs like disorientation, hyper sensory awareness, problems with speech, over tiredness, yawning a lot and post-migraine: washed out feeling, over tiredness, weakness.
Also, labrynthitis and other inner ear infections can cause issues with balance, headaches, nausea, dizziness etc. Usually they just go in their own time.
Thank you for that info! I always associated migraines with extreme pain and having to be in a quiet dark place away from sounds and light.
I think what bothers me the most is I have this almost constant popping/clicking in my ear. It happens even when I'm not swallowing. Of course I googled to see what it could be and brain tumor and MS popped up which surprisingly I never knew could be a symptom of either of the two conditions. I say surprisingly because I'm the queen of knowing symptoms for whatever disease I'm convinced I have ����*♀️
Migraines can be quite painful and will cause all sorts of strange symptoms. I've been having them since I was a kid. In addition to the pain, they sometimes mess with your vision, make you nauseous, and all sorts of other stuff. Rough to deal with at the time, but they do pass. :)
As for the rest, well... The common advice around here is to not Google your symptoms, and if you have health anxiety? Best advice you're ever gonna get. Let your doctor sort those things out, if they feel it's anything at all.
For a brain tumour to be causing all of your symptoms it would be plenty big enough to be seen on a CT. you’re right that sometimes very very small problems can only be seen on MRI but in your case the CT is pretty definitive that there isn’t a brain tumour.
I’m having similar symptoms at the moment after getting reassurance about other symptoms I was having & i’m Really it’s all in keeping with anxiety. I know that’s easy to say ‘ &sometimes not so easy to believe but it’s true.
For a brain tumour to be causing all of your symptoms it would be plenty big enough to be seen on a CT. you’re right that sometimes very very small problems can only be seen on MRI but in your case the CT is pretty definitive that there isn’t a brain tumour.
I’m having similar symptoms at the moment after getting reassurance about other symptoms I was having & i’m Really it’s all in keeping with anxiety. I know that’s easy to say ‘ &sometimes not so easy to believe but it’s true.
I guess I didn’t look at it that for a tumor to be causing all of these symptoms it would be a decent size that would show up on CT. I honestly go back and forth between reassuring myself that it would have shown up to convincing myself that it was missed on the scan and I need an MRI. You said that you have had reassurance, have you also had scans?
I've read that CT scans with contrast are accurate up to about 1cm. (A tumour smaller than this unlikely to cause symptoms so don't worry about that) - Further than that, Small tumours on the base of the brain, pituitary tumours and very small acoustic neuromas can occasionally be missed on them.
Put simply though, no tumour big enough to cause a headache is ever going to be missed on a CT scan.
unsure_about_this
23-03-18, 17:11
I have mri brain scans due to my health condition nf, and my problem was seen no problems and did not need CT Scan from brain yet, it showed I have something which is related to my NF and that is a non cancerous lump/bright spot cannot be removed due to location, does not need treatment but it seems to have got smaller over the years.
I've read that CT scans with contrast are accurate up to about 1cm. (A tumour smaller than this unlikely to cause symptoms so don't worry about that) - Further than that, Small tumours on the base of the brain, pituitary tumours and very small acoustic neuromas can occasionally be missed on them.
Put simply though, no tumour big enough to cause a headache is ever going to be missed on a CT scan.
My CT scan was without contrast. Would that make a huge difference in being able to spot a tumor?
My CT scan was without contrast. Would that make a huge difference in being able to spot a tumor?
If it was necessary to use contrast to rule out a brain tumor based on your symptoms, your doctor would have used contrast.
If it was necessary to use contrast to rule out a brain tumor based on your symptoms, your doctor would have used contrast.
I guess I have to trust that to be the case. I ended up in the emergency room so not sure why he chose to do a non contrast vs contrast.
ServerError
25-03-18, 03:33
If the doctor felt there was a clinical need to perform the scan with contrast, he would have done. The fact he didn't tells you all you need to know.
Why are you asking a bunch of non-doctors? Obviously the *doctor* thought it was good enough. Work on your anxiety - it's the real issue here.
Why are you asking a bunch of non-doctors? Obviously the *doctor* thought it was good enough. Work on your anxiety - it's the real issue here.
You're right. I definitely need to work on my anxiety. I guess the reason I was asking a bunch of non doctors is because I wanted some sort of reassurance without the dangers of me googling if Ct scans would show a tumor.
My CT scan was without contrast. Would that make a huge difference in being able to spot a tumor?
If it's big enough to cause a headache? No.
You see it's not the tumour itself that causes a headache, it's the surrounding swelling and build up of fluid. That is not something that is easily missed on any type of scan.
I'll reiterate, brain tumours big enough to cause swelling symptoms do NOT get missed on brain scans.
Stephenie.welch
25-03-18, 23:01
Listen to that guy ^^ above me he's so very correct. Couldn't have said it better.
If it's big enough to cause a headache? No.
You see it's not the tumour itself that causes a headache, it's the surrounding swelling and build up of fluid. That is not something that is easily missed on any type of scan.
I'll reiterate, brain tumours big enough to cause swelling symptoms do NOT get missed on brain scans.
Thank you so much. Honestly reading this made me feel much calmer. Although I'm still having these symptoms I have been telling myself that the CT would have picked up somthing sinister.
Thank you so much. Honestly reading this made me feel much calmer. Although I'm still having these symptoms I have been telling myself that the CT would have picked up somthing sinister.
Of course you are still having the symptoms, the symptoms you are experiencing are real, it's simply their causation that you are dreading that isn't. They could be caused by any number of things, and anxiety will no doubt be playing a role too.
One thing they are definitely not being caused by however is any type of inter-cranial mass. Don't worry yourself. Neurology is a complicated and little understood field. The truth is over 1/3rd of people who walk into a neurologists office leave without a diagnosis. Lots of things whack out our bodies and especially our nervous systems, and the vast VAST majority are totally benign in nature.
Btw, the floaters are totally unrelated to your CNS, and are a separate entity entirely. They are caused by undissolved vitreous gel and can unstuck for any in a hundred reasons. The chances are you have had them for quite sometime, but have now only become aware of them due to your heightened sense of anxiety and hyper focusing on your vision.
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