Lumbar puncture is a procedure by which doctors take for analysis a sample of cerebrospinal fluid of a patient.

Lumbar puncture, if necessary, can be prescribed to any person, at any age.

Puncture can be used not only with diagnostic, but also with a therapeutic purpose - for the direct administration of antibiotics for infection or antitumor agents in certain types of cancer.

Frequent reasons why doctors prescribe a lumbar puncture:.

• Check for bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage). When bleeding a small amount of blood will be found in the cerebrospinal fluid, where it should not be.

• Confirmation of rare diseases, such as Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and so on.

• Infection detection (bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid).

• Search for possible causes of unexplained convulsive seizures.

Cerebrospinal fluid is a special, sterile environment that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The adult contains only 5 ounces (about 140 ml) of cerebrospinal fluid. This environment is constantly updated. Normally, an adult human body produces 30-100 ml of cerebrospinal fluid per day.

Risks associated with lumbar puncture.

The human spinal cord ends at the level of the second lumbar vertebra. The needle for lumbar puncture is usually inserted between the third and fourth, and between the fourth and fifth vertebrae, so the spinal cord is out of danger. But nevertheless complications from a lumbar puncture are possible or probable.

Headache.

From 5 to 25% of people who underwent lumbar puncture experience headache after the procedure. Pain may occur in the next 48 hours after the puncture, but lasts, in some cases, up to two days. The cause of the headache is the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid from the puncture site.

Typically, worsening headache in an upright position and reducing pain in the prone position - that's why after the procedure, patients are recommended to lie down.

In young patients, especially men, the risk of headache after puncture is much higher than in older people and women. You can reduce the risk of a headache if you consume a lot of fluids, especially beverages that contain caffeine (tea, coffee, cola).

In the West, doctors have used an interesting way to combat this headache for half a century. It is called a "blood patch" (blood patch). The method consists in introducing into the puncture site several milliliters of own blood (autograft) of the patient taken from it from the vein. Relief of the patient can be felt in half an hour.

Dislocation of the brain.

This is a serious complication that occurs as a result of increased intracranial pressure during puncture. This complication is extremely rare, usually against a background of significantly increased intracranial pressure.

If a person has symptoms of meningitis (headache, fever, stiffness in the neck), then he is advised to immediately hold a lumbar puncture, so as not to delay treatment for a minute.

Another patient is advisable to make a computerized tomography of the brain, which eliminates bleeding and other factors that can lead to increased intracranial pressure.

If an increase in ICP is suspected, extreme caution is required with the puncture, if it should be done at all.

Bleeding.

Damage to local blood vessels can be a complication when injecting a needle. Most often bleeding is insignificant. Damage to blood vessels during puncture may affect the results of the procedure. This means that the doctor will have to re-do everything again, in another section. An anesthetic is administered for the procedure so that the patient does not feel so sick..

The epidermoid cyst.

In rare cases, certain tissues accidentally enter the spinal canal, when the doctor makes a puncture. As a result, a cyst develops. Unfortunately, no one can guarantee that the puncture will pass without complications.

But with the use of modern equipment, the epidermoid cyst is an extremely rare complication.

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