Cerebral arteritis and bacterial meningitis.

Twelve cases of large- and medium-sized cerebral artery stenosis and/or occlusion associated with bacterial meningitis occurred. Neurological complication due to arterial involvement developed in seven patients on the third and fourth days of illness; in one patient, it developed on the fifth day, and in another it developed on the 14th day. In three cases, this could not be determined. Arterial stenosis is considered primarily to result from arterial spasm due to humoral factors that may be elaborated within the CSF or arterial wall, as in the cases of ruptured aneurysm; and secondarily, from to inflammatory involvement of major vessels at the base of the brain and from irritation by angiographic contrast material.