Spinal arachnoiditis. The postoperative variety in particular.

The diagnostic and therapeutic courses of 68 patients with the discharge diagnosis of spinal arachnoiditis were reviewed. The combination of oil myelography and spinal surgery was the probable cause of arachnoiditis in almost all cases. The clinical presentation featured leg pain (90%), low-back pain (80%), and sphincter disturbance (25%). Motor, sensory, and reflex changes were present in two thirds of the cases, with a majority having defects attributable to bilateral or multiple root level involvement. Specific analysis of previous operative procedures cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies, and myelographic patterns did not disclose any consistent correlation with the clinical presentation. Results are interpreted in light of prior clinical and experimental studies on the reaction of the meninges to trauma and myelography.