Neuro-imaging Studies

Cranial computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans may be used to help diagnose meningitis, and can be helpful in assessing the response of the patient to therapy.  A CT brain scan may be used to look for inflammation of the meninges and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier; MRI scans are also able to show breakdowns in the blood-brain barrier, and may detect these changes at an earlier stage than CT scans.

Cranial CT scans or MRI scans may be particularly useful in patients who have contracted meningitis as a result of a basilar skull fracture with CSF leak.