TY - JOUR T1 - Frequency of unexplained meningeal enhancement in the brain after lumbar puncture. JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 633 LP - 638 VL - 15 IS - 4 AU - R L Mittl, Jr AU - D M Yousem Y1 - 1994/04/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/15/4/633.abstract N2 - PURPOSE 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. ER -