Multiple Sclerosis, December 2001,
vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 375-382(8)
Baló's concentric sclerosis
is a demyelinating disorder in which bands of demyelination alternate with
concentric bands of myelin preservation.
The pathogenesis of the lesion is
unknown.
Previous reports using modern histopathologic
techniques have shown the bands of myelin preservation to be comprised
of remyelinated or partially demyelinated myelin.
Here we report a case of Baló's
concentric sclerosis in a 24-year-old East Indian patient with a previous
history of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Pathologically,
the bands of myelin preservation showed myelin sheaths of normal thickness,
with focal areas of demyelination.
The findings, taken together with
those of previously reported cases, suggest that Baló's concentric
sclerosis is a variant of MS, and the concentric lesion may be an intermediary
form in evolution of a chronic active MS plaque.
The pathogenesis of this concentric
lesion may be explained by periodic suppression of demyelination in the
rapidly expanding border, allowing remyelination or only transient incomplete
demyelination to occur.
© 2002 ingenta
Moore G.R.W. [6] *; Berry K. [6];
Oger J.J.F. [6]; Prout A.J.E. [6]; Graeb D.A. [6]; Nugent R.A. [6]
[6] The University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 1L8 [*] Correspondence: GRW Moore, Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital, Room
1302, 910 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 1L8
Abstract: