Arachnoiditis Information Page
  

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What is Arachnoiditis?
Is there any treatment?
What is the prognosis?

What is Arachnoiditis?
Arachnoiditis is an inflammatory response of the arachnoid, one of three coverings, or meninges, that envelop the brain and spinal cord. It may result from infection, including syphilis and tubercular meningitis; trauma (including that resulting from surgery, lumbar puncture, and spinal anesthesia); or a diagnostic procedure called a myelogram, which is performed in patients prior to spinal surgery. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, and a characteristic stinging and burning pain in the legs.\

Is there any treatment?
The goal of treatment should be to return the patient to a functional role in society. Conservative therapy such as pain management is usually recommended. In those patients whose arachnoiditis is progressive, surgery to remove adhesions is only minimally effective because scar tissue continues to develop. Also, surgery exposes the already irritated spinal cord to additional trauma.

What is the prognosis?
There is no cure for arachnoiditis. For the majority of patients, arachnoiditis is a disabling disease causing intractable pain and neurological deficits. As the disease progresses, some symptoms may increase and become permanent. Few persons with this disorder are able to continue working. In some cases, progressive paraplegia may occur.

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