title: Frequency of unexplained meningeal enhancement in the brain after lumbar puncture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the hypothesis that lumbar puncture alone may cause meningeal enhancement in the brain.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively reviewed the brain MR examinations of all patients from a 6-month period who were studied within 1 month after lumbar puncture. We also retrospectively reviewed all cases of dural-arachnoidal enhancement in the brain from the preceding 18-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the prospective group, only one case out of 97 enhanced brain MR examinations after lumbar puncture did not have a clear cause for dural-arachnoidal enhancement. In the retrospective group, only one case out of 11 with enhancement was not clearly explained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dural-arachnoidal enhancement in the brain after lumbar puncture is uncommon, if it occurs at all, and lumbar puncture as a cause of enhancement should be considered a rare diagnosis of exclusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mittl
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Yousem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001099:Arachnoid / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000473:pathology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008536:Meglumine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA