Diagnostic Value
The presence of oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid combined with their absence in blood serum often indicates that immunoglobulins are produced in central nervous system. Therefore it is normal to subtract bands in serum from bands in CSF when investigating CNS diseases.
Oligoclonal bands are an important indicator in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Approximately 79%-90% of all patients with multiple sclerosis have permanently observable oligoclonal bands.
The presence of one band (a monoclonal band) may be considered serious, such as lymphoproliferative disease, or may simply be normal—it must be interpreted in the context of each specific patient. More bands may reflect the presence of a disease. The bands tend to disappear from the cerebrospinal fluid as a person recovers from the neurological disease.
Read more about this topic: Oligoclonal Band