AN MD80 PLT RPTS DISCOVERING A FUEL IMBALANCE DURING DSCNT FOR APCH AT 10000 FT.

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WHILE INITIATING A FLT RPT OVER OR NEAR ABC (10K/250 KTS); I NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT FUEL IMBALANCE. THE L MAIN READ 9000 LBS; CTR AROUND 300 LBS; AND R MAIN READ 5000 LBS. I QUICKLY BROUGHT THIS TO THE CAPT'S ATTN; SOON FOLLOWED BY OUR USE OF THE QRH TO REMEDY THE PROB. PRIOR TO THIS; I HAD CHKED FUEL UP TO OR NEAR ABC. I RECORDED THE CTR TANK FUEL AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY WING TANK FUEL XFER PROB. IT APPEARED WE WERE RUSHED FROM LEVELOFF; WITH 2 WRITE-UPS; (L FUEL FLOW INOP); 130 KTS OF TAILWIND; NUMEROUS RADIO CHANGES; 4TH LEG OF DAY AND AN EARLY DSCNT FROM ATC DUE TO STRONG TAILWINDS. I COULD NOT SURMISE WHEN THE FUEL BEGAN TO FEED IMPROPERLY. NEVERTHELESS; WE HAD TO DEVIATE WITH ATC APCH HANDLE THE PROB; AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAD TO GO AROUND DUE TO STRONG WINDS (45 KTS) ON BASE LEG. HAD PLENTY OF FUEL AND EVENTUALLY CAME BACK AROUND TO LAND. WHILE I BELIEVE WE ARE FULLY RESPONSIBLE; I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY THE RAPID ONSET OF THIS FUEL IMBALANCE; AND HOW WE FAILED TO CATCH IT AT AN EARLIER TIME IN THE FLT.