Aseptic meningitis – Mild


Signs & Symptoms

Headache, fever and meningeal symptoms


Evaluation

  • Brain MRI to exclude brain metastasis and leptomeningeal involvement
  • Lumbar puncture after brain imaging: analysis of CSF for white blood cell analysis (ideally including flowcytometry analysis), protein level, glucose level, presence for cancer cells
  • Infectious workup (incl. viral serologies and (myco)bacterial analysis in CSF and blood according to local practice)
  • blood analysis for lactate
  • Open pressure measurement (done during lumbar puncture)

Management

  • Suspend ICPi untill clear diagnosis
  • Exclude infectious cause before start of steroids
  • Prednisone according to local practice: symptoms should disappear within 1 week if not: treat as severe aseptic meningitis
  • Symptomatic treatment (paracetamol and NSAID)
  • Restart of ICPi can be discussed in a multidisciplinary team if symptomatology was mild and steroids are stopped for some time
  • Evacuating lumbar punctures to lower elevated ICP, consider other measures to lower elevated ICP