Your mother is in good hands. The experts at Sri Chitra are qualified and experienced. Arachnoiditis is the term used to describe abnormal thickening of the coverings of the spinal cord and nerves consequent to chronic inflammation within the spinal canal. It damages the contained spinal cord or nerves and is extremely difficult to treat. Often, by the time the diagnosis is made, irreversible damage has already been done to the spinal cord or nerves. The results of therapy of spinal arachnoiditis are poor at all the major institutes. You can confirm the diagnosis, if necessary, by a biopsy of the thickened arachnoid-pia mater complex. The abscesses located in the lower spine can be emptied at the same time that the biopsy is done.