Balós concentric sclerosis is a disease in which the white matter of the brain appears damaged in concentric layers, leaving the axis cylinder intact. It was described by József Mátyás Baló who initially named it "leuko-encephalitis periaxialis concentrica" from the previous definition, and it is currently considered one of the borderline forms of multiple sclerosis. Balós concentric sclerosis is a demyelinating disease similar to standard multiple sclerosis, but with the particularity that the demyelinated tissues form concentric layers. Scientists used to believe that the prognosis was similar to Marburg multiple sclerosis, but now they know that patients can survive, or even have spontaneous remission and asymptomatic cases.The concentric ring appearance is not specific to Balós MS. Concentric lesions have also been reported in patients with neuromyelitis optica, standard MS, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts, leukoencephalopathy, concomitant active hepatitis C and human herpes virus 6. Pathophysiology
The lesions of the Balós sclerosis belong to the MS lesion pattern III (distal oligodendrogliopathy). Balo concentric sclerosis is now believed to be a variant of pattern III multiple sclerosis and probably due to metabolic problems.The Baló lesions show veins at their center, like those of MS, some suggestive of microhemorrhages or small ectatic venules. Unlike MS, no cortical gray matter lesions appear.
Nature Clinical Practice Neurology. 3 (9): E1. doi:10.1038/ncpneuro0619. PMID 17805242. S2CID 33938721. == External links ==