Could Childhood Polio Cause an Old Injury to the Frontal Lobe?

Question: I recently came down with Bell’s Palsy. To rule out a stroke, I had an MRI. This showed some, what was thought to be, old injury. I don’t ever remember having any such thing. It is in the right front lobe. I had polio in 1949 at the age of 2, and I now have PPS. The polio affected my left leg. Could what showed up on the MRI be caused from the polio?

Answer: There is nothing that childhood polio would cause in the brain that should be confused with the appearance of an old injury. There are some MRI brain non-specific abnormalities that have been reported to be common in some polio survivors, but they don’t have the appearance of an old injury. You may want to consult with a neurologist, or seek an opinion about what the MRI abnormalities might mean to a medical professional who knows your full history and has examined you.

Post-Polio Health (Vol. 28, No. 3, Winter 2012)