Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, which leads to a loss of muscle control, vision, balance, and sensation (such as numbness). Multiple sclerosis gets its name from the buildup of fibrous tissue (sclerosis) in the brain and/or spinal cord. The scar tissue forms when myelin (the protective tissue covering nerves) is destroyed. This process is known as demyelination. 

When nerves aren’t covered by myelin, signals transmitted throughout the brain and spinal cord are disrupted or stopped. The brain is no longer able to send and receive messages effectively. 

Nerves can regain myelin, but the process isn’t fast enough to counter the deterioration that occurs in MS. The types and severity of symptoms and the course MS takes in a patient can vary widely, partly because of the location of scar tissue and the extent of  emyelination.