Lumbar puncture
A lumbar puncture is often used to diagnose certain conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis is the inflammation of the membrane layers covering the brain and spinal cord. It can develop from a number of different causes, including infection by bacteria or viruses. Bacterial meningitis can be life-threatening.
A lumbar puncture is needed to diagnose meningitis and ensure appropriate treatment is started.
A Subarachnoid haemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel within or underneath the brain bursts (ruptures). It's usually diagnosed using a computerised tomography (CT) scan , but sometimes it may be necessary to perform a lumbar puncture to detect the presence of blood in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Guillain-Barr syndrome is a rare conditionthat causes inflammation of nerves supplying the arms and the legs.A lumbar puncture is needed to check the protein level in the CSF, which is usually higherwith this condition.
A lumbar puncture can also be used to administer treatments by injecting medication into the CSF. Medications include:
A lumbar puncture can also be used to relieve a pressure build-up within the skull (known as raised intracranial pressure) by removing some CSF. This can give short-term relief of symptoms until a more permanent treatment can be provided.
A lumbar puncture is a medical procedure where a needle is inserted into the lower part of the spine to test for conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord or other parts of the nervous system.
A lumbar puncture is most often used to diagnose certain conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord.
Many lumbar punctures are carried out after being admitted to hospital in an emergency.
Lumbar punctures are generally very low-risk procedures. However, they sometimes cause short-lived side effects.