Objective To investigate the causes and management of cranial magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)lesion progression during anti-tuberculosis treatment of tuberculous meningitis(TBM)in children.Methods The medical records of 17 children with TBM from February 2011 to May 2022 in this hospital were analyzed retrospectively,including the occurrence time,duration,clinical symptoms,cerebrospinal fluid re-sults,imaging characteristics,causes and treatment schemes.Results The mean duration of cranial MRI le-sion progression in 17 children with TBM after anti-tuberculosis treatment was(33.59±19.50)days;11 cases(64.71％)had no clinical symptoms.The progression of cranial MRI lesions was manifested as thickening of the original meningeal lesion compared with the previous one in 11 cases(64.71％),enlarging of the original lesion in the brain parenchyma in nine cases(52.94％),the original lesion disappeared in six cases(35.29％),and the appearance of a fresh lesion in one case(5.88％).The reasons identified were paradoxical response(PR)in 14 cases(82.35％),diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis in one case(5.88％),association with i-soniazid metabolism type of rapid acetylation in one case(5.88％),and increase in foci due to unregulated an-ti-tuberculosis treatment in one case(5.88％).The treatment regimens for the 14 cases of conflicting reac-tions were:HRZE(H:isoniazid;R:rifampicin;E:ethambutol;Z:pyrazinamide)or HRZ in combination with or without linezolid,extended or additional glucocorticoids in nine cases,addition of levofloxacin in three cases,no specific therapy in five cases;The metabolic type of fast acetylated isoniazid was adjusted to 15 mg/kg in chil-dren.The children with drug-resistant tuberculosis were changed to drug-resistant regimen;Children with poor dependence did not change the treatment plan.Conclusion PR is the common reason for the progress of brain MRI lesions after TBM anti-tuberculosis treatment in children,and glucocorticoid treatment can promote the lesion absorption.