definition for: #Arachnoiditis

Arachnoiditis is classified as a rare disease. It is an incurable and progressive acute inflammatory condition that occurs in the dura (exterior) and the arachnoid (interior), two of the three membranes that cover and protect the brain, the spinal cord and the nerve roots leading from the spinal cord. The arachnoid contains the cerebrospinal fluid which circulates from the brain to the sacral area, about every two hours; it filters any invasion and usually responds first by inflammation and follows with a chronic stage life-long phase characterized by scarring and fibrosis. As a result, abnormal adhesion of nerve roots to the dural sac or to each other (clumping) occurs in a variety of configurations that alter significantly the function of the roots and the spinal cord. This causes a variety of neurological deficits and severe chronic neuropathic pain usually located in the area affected and referred pain to the extremities. The majority of Arachnoiditis cases are iatrogenic: CAUSED BY MEDICAL INTERVENTION.There are numerous causes of arachnoiditis: a)Direct mechanical injuries (dural cut/tear) caused by surgical interventions, especially repeat spinal operations, after fusions or minimally invasive procedures requiring corrective surgeries. b)Trauma to the spinal cord. c)Epidural disc prolapse. d)Repeat manipulation during catheter or leads insertion. e)One or multiple spinal taps. f)Several steroid epidural injections. g)Injections of epidural steroids gone intrathecal. h)Difficult epidural blood patches (injection >20ml). i)Injection of myelogram dye into the spinal cord. j)Infections that may cause meningitis (viral, fungal or bacterial). k) epidurals during childbirth