![]() As many as 25% of people who undergo a lumbar puncture develop a headache afterward due to fluid leaking into nearby tissues. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementiaĪlthough lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is generally recognized as safe, it does carry some risks.Certain inflammatory conditions of the nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome.Certain cancers involving the brain or spinal cord.Bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage).Serious bacterial, fungal and viral infections, including meningitis, encephalitis and syphilis.Information gathered from a lumbar puncture can help diagnose: Inject dye (myelography) or radioactive substances (cisternography) into cerebrospinal fluid to make diagnostic images of the fluid’s flow.Inject spinal anesthetics, chemotherapy drugs or other medications.Measure the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid.Collect cerebrospinal fluid to check for infections, inflammation or other diseases.Why it’s doneĪ lumbar puncture (spinal tap) may be done to: Sometimes a lumbar puncture is used to inject anesthetic medications or chemotherapy drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid. This is the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord to protect them from injury.Ī lumbar puncture can help diagnose serious infections, such as meningitis other disorders of the central nervous system, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and multiple sclerosis bleeding or cancers of the brain or spinal cord. During a lumbar puncture, a needle is inserted into the space between two lumbar bones (vertebrae) to remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. It’s performed in your lower back, in the lumbar region. Then a needle is inserted into your spinal canal - in your lower back - to collect cerebrospinal fluid for testing.Ī lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is a test used to diagnose certain health conditions. During a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) procedure, you typically lie on your side with your knees drawn up to your chest. ![]()
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