meningitis

Examples of meningitis in the following topics:

• Meninges

  • The meninges refer to the several membrane layers that encase the brain.
  • The meninges is the system of membranes that envelopes the central nervous system.
  • Other medical conditions which affect the meninges include meningitis (usually from fungal, bacterial, or viral infection) and meningiomas arising from the meninges or from meningeal carcinomatoses (tumors) formed elsewhere in the body which metastasize to the meninges.
  • This figure displays the meninges with respect to the skull and surface of the brain.
  • Distinguish between the three layers of the meninges of the central nervous system

• Branches of Spinal Nerves

  • The spinal nerves branch into the dorsal ramus, ventral ramus, the meningeal branches, and the rami communicantes.
  • The meningeal branches (recurrent meningeal or sinuvertebral nerves): These branch from the spinal nerve and re-enter the intervertebral foramen to serve the ligaments, dura, blood vessels, intervertebral discs, facet joints, and periosteum of the vertebrae.

• Spinal Tap

  • An example of a situation requiring a lumbar puncture is when meningitis is suspected, since cerebrospinal fluid is the only reliable tool for excluding the disease.
  • The most common reason for a lumbar puncture is to collect cerebrospinal fluid in a case of suspected meningitis.
  • Infants commonly require lumbar puncture as a part of the routine workup for fever without a source, as they have a much higher risk of meningitis than older persons and do not reliably show signs of meningeal irritation.
  • Increased CSF pressure: can indicate conditions causing increased intracranial pressure, such as congestive heart failure, cerebral edema, subarachnoid hemorrhage, meningeal inflammation, purulent meningitis or tuberculous meningitis, hydrocephalus, or pseudotumor cerebri.
  • The presence of white blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid, called pleocytosis: a large number of these cells often heralds bacterial meningitis.

• Synovial Membranes

  • The meninges is the system of membranes that envelopes the central nervous system.
  • In mammals, the meninges consist of three layers: the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater .
  • The middle layer of the meninges is the arachnoid mater, so named because of its spider web-like appearance.
  • The pia mater is the innermost layer of the meninges.
  • This figure displays the meninges with respect to the skull and surface of the brain.

• Body Cavity Membranes

  • The meninges is the system of membranes which envelops the central nervous system.
  • In mammals, the meninges consist of three layers: the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater .
  • The primary function of the meninges and the cerebrospinal fluid is to protect the central nervous system.
  • The middle element of the meninges is the arachnoid mater, so named because of its spider web-like appearance.
  • It is the meningeal envelope which firmly adheres to the surface of the brain and spinal cord, following the brain's minor contours (gyri and sulci).

• Body Cavities

  • The meninges is a multi-layered membrane within the dorsal cavity that envelops and protects the brain and spinal cord.
  • This cavity contains the brain, the meninges of the brain, and cerebrospinal fluid.
  • These include the spinal cord, the meninges of the spinal cord, and the fluid-filled spaces between them.

• Ventricles

  • The brain and spinal cord are covered by a series of tough membranes called meninges, which protect these organs from rubbing against the bones of the skull and spine.
  • Diseases of the ventricular system include abnormal enlargement (hydrocephalus) and inflammation of the CSF spaces (meningitis, ventriculitis) caused by infection or introduction of blood following trauma or hemorrhage.

• Cerebrospinal Fluid and Its Circulation

  • The CSF occupies the space between the arachnoid mater (the middle layer of the brain cover, the meninges) and the pia mater (the layer of the meninges closest to the brain).
  • These parameters alone may be extremely beneficial in the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage and CNS infections such as meningitis.

• Development of the Central Nervous System

  • In vertebrates, the brain is protected by the skull, while the spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae, and both are enclosed in the meninges .

• Gonorrhea

  • Very rarely it may settle in the heart causing endocarditis or in the spinal column causing meningitis (both are more likely among individuals with suppressed immune systems, however).