title: Idiopathic hypertrophic spinal pachymeningitis.
abstract: Spinal idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IHP) is a rare, chronic, nonspecific, granulomatous inflammatory disorder of the dura with unknown etiology. It can cause a localized or diffuse thickening of the dura mater with compression of the spinal canal and possible myelopathic symptoms. The authors report 3 consecutive cases of spinal IHP with a review of the literature. The diagnosis of spinal IHP was based on biopsy and pathological confirmation. Typical MR imaging findings suggestive of spinal IHP were noted in all cases. The clinical course may be marked by deterioration despite conservative therapy and may require surgical intervention to prevent irreversible neurological damage. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and institution of proper treatment is critical.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. mranasinghe@hmc.psu.edu
authors.forename: Moksha G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ranasinghe
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zalatimo
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rizk
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: G Timothy
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Harbaugh
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheehan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011241:Prednisone