[Primary acute and subacute meningomyeloradiculopathies: study of the cerebrospinal fluid]

Forty four patients with primary acute and subacute meningomyeloradiculopathies were studied in respect to the evolutive aspects of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell-protein dual in several periods of the disease. The tendency of CSF hypercytosis to normal values of cell count occurred in most cases (96%) at the end of the period in which the study was performed (60 days). The CSF protein levels had a similar but slower behavior pattern when compared with hypercytosis. The comparative analysis of clinical improvement of two groups of patients (treated and not treated with ACTH or corticosteroids) showed a statistically significant difference between on the two groups favouring the former. This fact enhances the possibility that an auto-immune process plays an important role in cases of primary meningomyeloradiculopathies.