There are many diseases that can lead to disability or death. One of them is cerebral arachnoiditis. With this ailment, sick people need immediate and effective treatment. With timely therapy, the prognosis for life is favorable. How can cerebral arachnoiditis be detected? How is he treated? Before answering these questions, it is worth understanding what exactly arachnoiditis is, how it is classified.
What is arachnoiditis?
The human brain and spinal cord are covered with three meninges: firm, arachnoid (arachnoid) and soft. Spider web inflammation is a disease called arachnoiditis. In 60% of cases, the disease provokes infectious and infectious-allergic diseases. In 30% of cases, arachnoiditis occurs due to a previous traumatic brain injury. In other people who are diagnosed with the disease, it is not possible to establish the etiology.
The term "arachnoiditis" has not found practical application. Experts attribute this to the fact that there is no isolated damage to the arachnoid meninges, because it does not have its own vascular system. Signs of arachnoiditis in modern medicine are referred to as serous meningitis.
Disease classification
Depending on the localization of the pathological process, several types of disease are distinguished. One of them is spinal arachnoiditis. In this disease, inflammation occurs in the meninges that surround the spinal cord. Another type is cerebral arachnoiditis. With it, only the membrane of the brain is affected. For cerebrospinal arachnoiditis, a combination of the above two types of disease is characteristic.
There is another classification. According to her, there are the following types of ailment, this is arachnoiditis:
- posterior cranial fossa;
- the base of the brain (basal);
- convex surface of the cerebral hemispheres (convexital);
- in the area of optic chiasm (optic-chiasmal);
- cerebellar angle.
Depending on morphological changes, there are:
- adhesive
- adhesive cystic;
- cerebral cystic arachnoiditis.
Causes of cerebral arachnoiditis
This disease can occur in the form of complications in various infectious diseases, develop due to inflammatory processes that occur in the middle ear, paranasal sinuses. Thus, rheumatism, influenza, chronic tonsillitis, otitis media, rhinosinusitis, measles, scarlet fever, etc. are among the causative factors.
The cause of the disease is sometimes a traumatic brain injury. This is post-traumatic cerebral arachnoiditis. Some experts believe that the disease can occur after a birth injury and make itself felt in adulthood after an injury or infection.
Cerebral symptoms
Cerebral arachnoiditis is characterized by certain clinical manifestations. First of all, the disease makes itself felt with cerebral symptoms. Headache is common. She is the strongest in the morning. In some people, it is accompanied by nausea, vomiting.
Headache may increase with tension, straining, awkward movements. In addition to it, people with cerebral arachnoiditis note dizziness. Patients' memory worsens, irritability appears, fatigue quickly sets in, sleep is disturbed, and general weakness is observed.
Symptoms reflecting the localization of the pathological process
Cerebral signs are not the only ones with the disease cerebral arachnoiditis. Symptoms may occur and additional, which reflect the localization of the shell process:
- With arachnoiditis of the posterior cranial fossa, ataxia is observed. This is a violation of the coordination of muscle movements in the absence of muscle weakness. Nystagmus also occurs. This term refers to the spontaneous movement of the eyeballs.
- The basal form of the disease is characterized by a violation of the functions of those nerves that are located on the base of the skull.
- With convexital arachnoiditis, general and Jackson's epileptic seizures can be observed.
- Optical-chiasmal type of disease is characterized by visual impairment. Sick people mark the "grid before the eyes." In severe illness, blindness occurs. Hypothalamic disorders sometimes occur (for example, increased urination, thirst).
- With arachnoiditis of the cerebellar cerebellar angle of people, a headache localized in the occipital region, tinnitus suffers. Patients have paroxysmal dizziness.
Diagnosis of cerebral arachnoiditis
The diagnosis is made by specialists taking into account the clinical manifestations of the disease and the results of a neurological examination. It includes studies of visual acuity, visual fields and fundus. Craniography is also performed. This is a radiography of the skull without contrast. With cerebral arachnoiditis, indirect signs of intracranial hypertension can be detected on the review craniograms.
An electroencephalogram of the brain is also performed. The main role in the diagnosis is played by a pneumoencephalogram. The study allows you to detect uneven filling of air subarachnoid space, expansion of the ventricles of the brain, focal accumulations of air. To obtain additional information and exclude other diseases, sick people are assigned:
- CT scan;
- angiography;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- scintigraphy;
- other diagnostic methods.
Elimination of the disease
The disease cerebral arachnoiditis should be treated for a long time, courses. To eliminate the source of infection, doctors prescribe antibiotics to their patients. The following tools are also used:
- anti-inflammatory;
- absorbable;
- hyposensitizing;
- dehydration and others
With an increase in intracranial pressure, diuretics (for example, Furosemide, Mannitol) and decongestants are necessary. If patients experience cramps, then doctors prescribe antiepileptic drugs. If necessary, symptomatic drugs are used.
Surgery
The use of medicines does not always help to eliminate a disease such as cerebral arachnoiditis. Surgical treatment is prescribed in some cases. Indications for surgery are:
- lack of improvement after drug therapy;
- increase in intracranial hypertension;
- increase in focal symptoms;
- the presence of opto-chiasmal arachnoiditis, which is characterized by a steady decline in vision.
For example, a neurosurgical operation can be performed with the development of an adhesive process with the formation of adhesions or cystic process in a disease such as cerebral arachnoiditis of the brain. Treatment of this kind will allow you to get rid of obstacles that disrupt the normal circulation of cerebrospinal fluid.
Prognosis and disability in cerebral arachnoiditis
Usually, the patient’s life is not in danger if treatment is started in a timely manner. A good prognosis is given with a convexital form of the disease. It is worse with opto-chiasmal inflammation. Arachnoiditis of the posterior cranial fossa with occlusive hydrocephalus is especially dangerous. It is worth noting that the prognosis can significantly worsen existing diseases, injuries.
People due to an ailment can be recognized as invalids of group III, if the volume of their production activity decreases in light work. With severe visual impairment, frequent convulsive seizures, disability of group II is established. Group I become disabled due to vision loss caused by opto-chiasm arachnoiditis.
Causes of Disability
It was said above that cerebral arachnoiditis can lead to disability. Thus, the disease provokes a limitation of life, that is, patients completely or partially lose the opportunity or ability to implement the main components of everyday life. This happens for the following reasons:
- Convulsive seizures. Sick people periodically lose control over their behavior. In this regard, life activity is limited and disability is impaired.
- Visual impairment. In people suffering from cerebral arachnoiditis, the severity decreases and the field of view narrows. They cannot work with small details, carry out their professional duties, which require eye strain. Some constantly need the help of those around them because of blindness.
- Disorders of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in the disease cerebral arachnoiditis. The consequences are a manifestation of hypertensive syndrome with repeated crises. Crisis is accompanied by dizziness, disorientation.
- Neurasthenia and concomitant autonomic dystonia. People have reduced endurance to climatic factors, and their ability to prolong physical and mental stress is lost. Patients react negatively to loud sounds, too bright a light.
Disease prevention
Cerebral arachnoiditis can be avoided. So, in order not to encounter this disease, it is necessary to pay attention to its prevention. It lies in the timely treatment of those ailments that can provoke arachnoiditis. For example, when the first signs of sinusitis, otitis media appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. The specialist will prescribe effective therapy in a timely manner. Adequate treatment is also necessary for traumatic brain injury.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that cerebral arachnoiditis of the brain is a disease that is not so easy to diagnose. For suspicious symptoms, various studies are prescribed. Differential diagnosis is also carried out, because many diseases have a similar clinical picture (for example, brain tumors, normotensive hydrocephalus, neurosarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis, idiopathic epilepsy).