Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: The diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis rests on CSF examination by lumbar puncture. Before lumbar puncture, intracranial mass lesions that increase intracranial pressure, must be ruled out, so brain CT-scan may be considered . In this study we evaluated the accuracy of physical examination for intracranial mass in patients with meningismus.

Materials and Methods: 100 patients who had symptoms and signs of acute meningitis were evaluated and then brain scan was performed. After this, clinical manifestations were compared with CT results and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were analyzed.

Results: 73% of patients were men and 27% women. Most of patients were between 22 to 31 years old. 34% of patients had meningitis, 22% had SOL, 69% had one neurological symptom or sign at least. As a whole, sensitivity, specificity, pos. and neg. predictive values and accuracy in diagnosis of contradictions of L.P. are 90.9%, 37.1%, 28.9%, 93. 5%, 59% .

Conclusion: This study shows that with help of symptoms and signs fundoscopy in patients suspected to have meningitis, we can perform LP without brain CT preliminary.