Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug;8(3):300-301.
doi: 10.5811/cpcem.7189.

Spinal Arachnoid Web

Maiya Smith  1 , Morgan Ketterling  1 , Alexander Gallaer  1 , Rowan Kelner  1 , Christine Raps  1 , Allison M Beaulieu  1
Affiliations

Spinal Arachnoid Web

Maiya Smith et al. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Case presentation: We describe a case of a 57-year-old male with multiple medical comorbidities who presented to the emergency department with a two-week history of upper back pain with associated numbness. Physical exam demonstrated sensory loss in a bilateral third and fourth thoracic dermatome distribution. The diagnosis of spinal arachnoid web was made based on neurological exam and imaging findings.

Discussion: Spinal arachnoid web is a rare diagnosis, but consideration is important, as early recognition and surgical intervention can resolve symptoms and prevent worsening neurological sequelae.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the CPC-EM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.

Figures

Image.
Image.
Magnetic resonance imaging with and without contrast showing focal anterior displacement of the thoracic spinal cord at the third and fourth thoracic levels (arrow). In the setting of a prominent dorsal subarachnoid space with altered cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics, the findings demonstrate a dorsal arachnoid web.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ghannam JY, Al Kharazi KA. Neuroanatomy, cranial meninges. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2024. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539882/. Accessed February 18, 2024. - PubMed
    1. Paramore CG. Dorsal arachnoid web with spinal cord compression: variant of an arachnoid cyst? Report of two cases. J Neurosurg Spine. 2000;93(2):287–90. - PubMed
    1. Reardon MA, Raghavan P, Carpenter-Bailey K, et al. . Dorsal thoracic arachnoid web and the “scalpel sign”: a distinct clinical-radiologic entity. Am J Neuroradiol. 2013;34(5):1104–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brodbelt AR, Stoodley MA. Syringomyelia and the arachnoid web. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2003;145(8):707–11; discussion 711. - PubMed