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Postlumbar puncture arachnoiditis mimicking epidural abscess

Mehmet Sabri Gürbüz1, Baris Erdoğan, Mehmet Onur Yüksel

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Ağrı Public Hospital, Ağrı, Turkey.

BMJ Case Reports
|November 8, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Lumbar spinal arachnoiditis, a rare complication after lumbar puncture, can mimic epidural abscess. This case highlights the importance of considering arachnoiditis in the differential diagnosis of post-lumbar puncture infections.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Lumbar spinal arachnoiditis is an uncommon complication following diagnostic lumbar puncture.
  • Arachnoiditis can present with symptoms mimicking infectious conditions like epidural abscess, including fever and elevated infection markers.

Observation:

  • A 56-year-old male patient developed lumbar spinal arachnoiditis post-lumbar puncture.
  • The patient underwent surgery under the misdiagnosis of an epidural abscess.

Findings:

  • Intraoperative and postoperative examinations confirmed the absence of an epidural abscess.
  • This represents the first reported case of post-lumbar puncture arachnoiditis misdiagnosed as epidural abscess requiring surgery.

Implications:

  • Arachnoiditis can present with clinical and radiological features similar to epidural abscess.
  • Clinicians should consider arachnoiditis in the differential diagnosis for patients with suspected infectious complications after lumbar puncture.

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