RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Urinary retention with occult meningeal reaction: a ‘form fruste’ meningitis-retention syndrome JF BMJ Case Reports JO BMJ Case Reports FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP e236625 DO 10.1136/bcr-2020-236625 VO 13 IS 11 A1 Ryuji Sakakibara A1 Daiki Sakai A1 Fuyuki Tateno A1 Yosuke Aiba YR 2020 UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/11/e236625.abstract AB We report the case of a 70-year-old Japanese man who was referred from a local urologist because of acute urinary retention (detrusor underactivity revealed by a urodynamics examination). A neurogenic urinary retention workup failed to reveal the aetiology, but a spinal tap incidentally showed occult meningeal reaction with positive oligoclonal band. The patient had no headache, nausea/vomiting or fever. Considering his clinical laboratory findings, his neural lesions seemed to involve the meninges and spinal cord, suggestive of ‘form fruste’ meningitis-retention syndrome. When clinicians encounter patients with urinary retention of undetermined aetiology, a spinal tap should be considered.