Lumbar puncture has many uses, lumbar puncture is a diagnostic technique in which a needle is guided into the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord to collect cerebrospinal fluid, which is commonly used in routine cerebrospinal fluid and biochemical tests to assist in the diagnosis of central nervous system diseases, etc., and it is one of the commonly used diagnostic techniques in neurology. It can be used to diagnose various inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, vascular diseases, spinal cord lesions, suspected intracranial space-occupying lesions, neurological disorders of undiagnosed and pneumocephalus, which can be summarized as follows:
1. Cerebrospinal fluid is taken for testing.
2. Measurement of cerebral pressure for high and low intracranial pressure.
3. Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics are performed.
4. Perform spinal or pneumoencephalography.
Lumbar puncture can be used to:
1. assist in the diagnosis of central nervous system disorders such as central nervous system infections, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and meningeal cancer.
2, Measurement of intracranial pressure or action mechanics test to clarify the high and low intracranial pressure and spinal cord cavity, constant sinus usually.
3, dynamic observation of cerebrospinal fluid to determine the condition, prognosis and guide the treatment of related diseases.
4, injection of radionuclide brain and spinal cord scanning.
5, injection of fluid or release of cerebrospinal fluid to maintain and adjust the balance of intracranial pressure, injection of drugs to treat related diseases.
6, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as tuberculous meningitis, purulent meningitis, viral meningitis.
7, diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, such as can be used to diagnose meningeal leukemia, and through lumbar puncture intrathecal injection of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat meningeal leukemia.
As an invasive operation, lumbar puncture may lead to:
1, cauda equina nerve root injury: this kind of complication is relatively rare in clinic, mostly related to the puncture needle tip is far away from the body's center line or accidentally injured the spinal nerve root. Numbness of the lower limbs, pain or transient urinary disorders and other symptoms can occur, and can often be self-healing.
1, headache: the Department of cerebrospinal fluid released more volume, lying down for a period of time can lead to low cranial pressure headache.
2, meningeal infection: lumbar puncture without strict sterilization, can cause spinal osteomyelitis, disc infection, epidural abscess or bacterial meningitis.
3, brain hernia formation: for patients with high cranial pressure, posterior cranial recess occupational lesions, lumbar puncture should be asked for a detailed history and physical examination, and at the same time do a good job of lowering the cranial pressure of the corresponding treatment, otherwise it may lead to occipital foramen magnum hernia.
4, low back pain: mainly due to lumbar puncture injury to the nerve root or needle hole beveled cut ligament caused.