What is patchy sclerosis?

Patchy sclerosis is an abnormal finding on brain MRI and denotes regions of increased signal on T2 weighted images which are characteristically not gyral in terms of their distribution.

Patchy sclerosis is a characteristic feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), in which it is also known as multiple sclerosis plaques. It is thought to represent focal areas of demyelination, the process that damages the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord.

Patchy sclerosis can also be seen in other conditions such as:

* Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), an inflammatory condition of the brain and spinal cord that can occur after a viral infection.

* Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disease that affects the optic nerves and spinal cord.

* Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect many organs of the body, including the brain.

* Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection that can occur in people with weakened immune systems.

The presence of patchy sclerosis on brain MRI is not always indicative of a specific disease, and further testing may be necessary to determine the underlying cause.