Meningitis-Retention Syndrome

Meningitis-retention syndrome (MRS) is a clinical entity that has recently appeared in the literature. We present the case of a 22-year-old man with fever and headache who, in the course of his hospitalization with a diagnosis of aseptic meningitis, developed acute urinary retention. Fewer than 30 such cases have been described and in several of them, no clear associations with other disorders have been made. In some cases, direct association with viral infection has been proved, and in others, there are indications of an underlying demyelinating condition. To further complicate the issue, various conditions such as Elsberg syndrome and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which not only have some similarities but also have some distinct differences, have been placed under the umbrella definition of MRS. In our review, we attempt to address these conditions and better define MRS by establishing diagnostic criteria based on what has thus far been described in the literature.