Spinal cord involvement represents a rare complication of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). 1-3 Hypertrophic pachymeningitis, as a possible manifestation, can arise in proteinase-3 antibody (anti-PR3) positive cases as well as in myeloperoxidase antibody (anti-MPO) associated GPA, whereas primary spinal angiitis seems to be a unique complication of anti-PR3 positive GPA. 4,5 Here, we report a case of long-term immunosuppressive treatment in a patient with anti-PR3 positive GPA, who developed an acute paraplegia caused by extensive pachymeningitis which despite treatment escalation only partially responded.A 54-year-old Caucasian woman was diagnosed with anti-PR3 positive GPA in 2014 after presenting with bilateral conductive hearing loss and lower respiratory tract involvement (asymptomatic pulmonary nodules). After initiating an immunosuppressive treatment with prednisolone (10 mg/day) and methotrexate (15 mg/week), disease activity was sufficiently controlled for 2 years. In December 2016, the patient noticed slowly progressive neck and upper back pain, slight gait instability and intermittent numbness in both legs. In February 2017, she was admitted to our neurological ward due to acute urinary retention. Clinical examination showed nuchal rigidity, positive Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs and sensory ataxic gait disturbance in absence of leg paresis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a long contrast-enhanced swelling of the spinal meninges (C5-T8) combined with extensive spinal edema (Figure 1). Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed elevated protein levels and an increased leukocyte count consistent with a spinal block. Further microbiological analyses did not show any pathological findings (Figure S1), but anti-PR3 antibodies were elevated. Histological examination of a meningeal biopsy (T3) revealed chronic granulating inflammation (Figure 2). We diagnosed a chronic hypertrophic spinal cord pachymeningitis and started intravenous steroid pulse therapy (1000 mg/day for 5 days) followed by initiation of intravenous cyclophosphamide treatment (800 mg) and an increase of oral prednisolone (50 mg/day). As a result, neurological deficits partly receded. At discharge the patient was able to walk small stretches without help. Urinary dysfunction as well as neck and upper back pain fully recovered. In April 2017, the patient was readmitted due to reoccurrence of gait instability and urinary dysfunction and severe neck and upper back pain. At hospitalization she presented with subtle paraparesis, which showed a significant deterioration within 1 day with painless leg paraplegia and sensory loss below T8. MRI showed a slightly progressive spinal edema (Figure 1) but did not reveal a definite cause for the acute deterioration. Immediate steroid pulse therapy (1000 mg/day for 5 days) and surgical spinal decompression were attempted without clinical improvement. Simultaneously, the patient developed sudden hemoptysis. A computed tomography scan revealed pulmonary granulomas with one large cavern, and the anti-P...