Vol. 4, Issue 10, Part C (2018)

Abstract
Lumbar Puncture is essential or extremely useful in the diagnosis of bacterial, fungal, mycobacterial, and viral CNS infections and, in certain settings, for help in the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage, CNS malignancies, demyelinating diseases, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, caution should be used in patients with Possible raised intracranial pressure, Thrombocytopenia or other bleeding diathesis (including ongoing anticoagulant therapy) Suspected spinal epidural abscessProcedure technique The spinal needle may be advanced slowly, angling slightly toward the head, as if aiming towards the umbilicus. The flat surface of the bevel of the needle should be positioned to face the patient's flanks to allow the needle to spread rather than cut the dural sac (the fibers of which run parallel to the spinal axis). These complications include: Post-LP headache, Infection, Bleeding Cerebral herniation, Minor neurologic symptoms such as radicular pain or numbness, Late onset of epidermoid tumors of the thecal sac, Back pain.