Diagnostic Lumbar Puncture is one of the most commonly performed invasive tests in clinical medicine. Evaluation of an acute headache and investigation of inflammatory or infectious disease of the nervous system are the most common indications. Serious complications are rare, and correct technique will minimise diagnostic error and maximise patient comfort. We review the technique of diagnostic...

To characterize spinal cord effects of needle placement using lumbar puncture myelography technique, lumbar puncture was performed in 5 dogs and computed tomography images of the spinal column were acquired in the transverse plane at the level of the puncture site after contrast injection and both before and after needle removal. The spinal cords were punctured during needle placement and paren...

uch of the medicine we practice is enshrined in dogma. The management of children following febrile seizures is no exception. Every 5–10 years, the value and need for various investigations or treatment has been revisited in the medical press. However , despite the commonness of this clinical problem, consensus over management remains elusive. In particular, the need for lumbar puncture followi...

A study was carried out to ascertain the views of parents regarding the performance of lumbar punctures on their children admitted for febrile seizures. One hundred and seventeen (117) children with febrile seizures were recruited over nine months. Either one of the parents was interviewed a day after admission. In most cases, this was usually the mother. The ethnic groups of the patients were ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recently, the performance of C1-2 punctures for cervical myelography was challenged in a medicolegal proceeding as being below the standard of care. We sought to examine current neuroradiologic practices and opinions on the technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS An 11-question survey was sent to 120 program directors of neuroradiology via e-mail links regarding cervical myelo...

The headache which sometimes develops after a lumbar puncture has a dual interest, for not only is it important in the clinical management of the patient, but also it has stimulated enquiry into the causative mechanism of headache as a whole. Post-puncture headache has characteristic features. It may appear from a few hours to a few days after the puncture, and it is made worse by jugular compr...

Viral bronchiolitis accounts for almost 20% of all-cause hospitalizations of infants (ie, children younger than age 1 year). The annual incidence of fever in viral bronchiolitis has been documented at 23% to 31%. However the incidence of concurrent serious bacterial infections is low (1%-7%), with meningitis occurring in less than 1% to 2% of cases, but lumbar puncture is performed in up to 9% ...

Spinal subarachnoid hematoma (SSH) following diagnostic lumbar puncture is very rare. Generally, SSH is more likely to occur when the patient has coagulopathy or is undergoing anticoagulant therapy. Unlike the usual complications, such as headache, dizziness, and back pain at the needle puncture site, SSH may result in permanent neurologic deficits if not properly treated within a short period ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) constitutes an important neurologic emergency. Some authors have suggested that fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MR imaging can detect SAH that may not be apparent on CT scans but may be revealed by lumbar puncture. We sought to determine how often FLAIR MR imaging findings are positive for SAH in cases with negative CT findings an...