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Scientific Commentary |
Establishing preconditions for Baló's concentric sclerosis
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Concentric sclerosis is a rare variant of multiple sclerosis, first described by Baló in 1928 (Baló, 1928
). It is characterized by the development of alternating bands of demyelinated and myelinated white matter, forming concentric rings or irregular stripes. In an affected patient these lesions are usually multiple but may be admixed with other, typical plaques. Although often a feature of rapidly progressive disease, Baló's sclerosis is not always fatal and can also occur in chronic multiple sclerosis, as has been well demonstrated by the use of MRI (Bolay et al., 1996; Karaarslan et al., 2001).
The pathogenesis of this histologically striking form of demyelination has long been a puzzle. Although in some cases the bands
Department of Neuropathology, University of Bristol Institute of Clinical Neuroscience