Spinal arachnoiditis leading to recurrent reversible myelopathy: A case report

Arachnoiditis is a rare condition where the membrane surrounding the spinal cord becomes inflamed, leading to fibrosis and adhesions. This can cause pain, spasms, sensorimotor changes, and sometimes urinary incontinence. This case report describes a patient with a history of a gunshot wound who developed spinal arachnoiditis. The unique aspect of this case is the recurrent and reversible nature of the patient's myelopathy symptoms. The patient experienced temporary improvements in symptoms after a lumbar puncture and after a fall, suggesting pressure changes within the arachnoiditis-associated loculations may have caused the improvements. Surgical intervention ultimately provided lasting relief.

• 1
  The patient experienced recurrent and sudden reversibility of myelopathy symptoms associated with spinal arachnoiditis, which is an unusual presentation of the condition.
• 2
  Temporary symptom resolution occurred after a lumbar puncture and a fall, suggesting that pressure changes within the spinal fluid may have influenced nerve function.
• 3
  Surgical intervention involving lysis of adhesions and resection of a cystic lesion resulted in persistent symptom improvement.