Acute reversible neurological deficit following intrathecal chemotherapy

We report on two patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) who developed reversible, short-lived neurological deficit following intrathecal (i.t.) chemotherapy. One patient received i.t. methotrexate for treatment of meningeal disease, and the other received i.t. methotrexate with cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) and hydrocortisone as central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis. Although transient paresis following i.t. chemotherapy has previously been reported, it has been attributed to the preservatives contained in the diluents. Our two patients, however, received preservative-free solutions.