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Meaning Origin language and etymology Example(s) -iasis: condition, formation, or presence of Latin -iasis, pathological condition or process; from Greek ἴασις (íasis), cure, repair, mend mydriasis: iatr(o)-of or pertaining to medicine or a physician (uncommon as a prefix but common as a suffix; see -iatry)
Pia mater (/ ˈ p aɪ. ə ˈ m eɪ t ər / or / ˈ p iː ə ˈ m ɑː t ər /), [1] often referred to as simply the pia, is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
In anatomy, the meninges (/ m ə ˈ n ɪ n dʒ iː z /; [1] [2] sg. meninx / ˈ m iː n ɪ ŋ k s, ˈ m ɛ n ɪ ŋ k s /; [3] from Ancient Greek μῆνιγξ (mêninx) 'membrane') [4] are the three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord. In mammals, the meninges are the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater.
The arachnoid mater is interposed between the two other meninges, the more superficial (closer to the surface) and much thicker dura mater and the deeper pia mater, from which it is separated by the subarachnoid space. The delicate arachnoid layer is not attached to the inside of the dura but against it, and surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
The blood–brain barrier becomes more permeable, leading to "vasogenic" cerebral edema (swelling of the brain due to fluid leakage from blood vessels). Large numbers of white blood cells enter the CSF, causing inflammation of the meninges and leading to "interstitial" edema (swelling due to fluid between the cells).
Leptomeningeal cancer is a rare complication of cancer in which the disease spreads from the original tumor site to the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord. [1] This leads to an inflammatory response, hence the alternative names neoplastic meningitis (NM), malignant meningitis , or carcinomatous meningitis .
Some of the possible symptoms of chronic meningitis (due to any cause) include headache, nausea and vomiting, fever, and visual impairment. Nuchal rigidity (or neck stiffness with discomfort in trying to move the neck), a classic symptom in acute meningitis, was seen in only 45% of cases of chronic meningitis with the sign being even more rare in non-infectious causes.
Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and in the brain, where it appears as a meningitis. [4] [9] Coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infected. [5]