Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical features and auxiliary examination results of six patients with idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IHP), and to raise the awareness of this disease.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data, laboratory results, and imaging findings of 6 patients who visited Department of Neurology in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2014 to November 2017 and were diagnosed with IHP.Results The main clinical manifestations in these six patients were headache, cranial nerve involvement, epilepsy, mental and behavioral disorders, and ataxia. Laboratory examination showed increases in inflammatory indicators such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and cells and proteins in cerebrospinal fluid. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed symmetric or asymmetric isointensity and/or hypointensity on T1 weighted imaging and hypointensity on T2 weighted imaging of the cerebral dura mater, and contrast-enhanced MRI showed enhancement. All patients were given hormone shock therapy and achieved a good outcome.Conclusions Headache and cranial nerve involvement are the main manifestations of IHP. Increases in inflammatory indicators shown by laboratory examination and thickening and enhancement of the cerebral dura mater on imaging examination help with the diagnosis and identification of this disease.