What is the difference between arachnoiditis and epidural fibrosis?
“Arachnoiditis is chronic inflammation inside the dura, in the arachnoid layer of the meninges…whereas epidural (peridural, extradural) fibrosis is scarring outside the dural sac. It may also be referred to as “adhesions” or “scar tissue”. “Many doctors appear to regard epidural fibrosis as less clinically significant than arachnoiditis, but in essence the nerve root compression arising from epidural fibrosis may cause similar clinical problems in terms of lower limb pain, sensory disturbance and weakness.” “Epidural fibrosis differs from arachnoiditis in that it is more likely to be a localized problem and is generally a post-surgical phenomenon, although it may also be a sequela to invasive procedures such as chemonucleolysis. In cases of arachnoiditis, there is often associated epidural fibrosis, but the reverse is not generally acknowledged, so that patients may be left with a diagnosis of epidural fibrosis and are unable to get a diagnosis of arachnoiditis even when the clinical
“Arachnoiditis is chronic inflammation inside the dura, in the arachnoid layer of the meninges…whereas epidural (peridural, extradural) fibrosis is scarring outside the dural sac. It may also be referred to as “adhesions” or “scar tissue”. “Many doctors appear to regard epidural fibrosis as less clinically significant than arachnoiditis, but in essence the nerve root compression arising from epidural fibrosis may cause similar clinical problems in terms of lower limb pain, sensory disturbance and weakness.” “Epidural fibrosis differs from arachnoiditis in that it is more likely to be a localized problem and is generally a post-surgical phenomenon, although it may also be a sequela to invasive procedures such as chemonucleolysis. In cases of arachnoiditis, there is often associated epidural fibrosis, but the reverse is not generally acknowledged, so that patients may be left with a diagnosis of epidural fibrosis and are unable to get a diagnosis of arachnoiditis even when the clinical
