From the Research
Indications for Lumbar Puncture
The indications for lumbar puncture (LP) in an adult with muscle fasciculations, a symptom of potential neurological disorders, include:
- Diagnostic indications such as infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic diseases affecting the central nervous system 1
- Conditions like aseptic meningitis, bacterial meningitis, Guillain-Barré syndromes, subarachnoid hemorrhages, and carcinomatous meningitis 2
- Headache and meningitis are common conditions associated with LP among adults 3
- Acute severe headache and encephalopathy are also common diagnostic indications for LP 4
Diagnostic Yield and Complications
The yield of abnormal results from LP varies by indication category, with certain indications yielding abnormal results in over 50% of cases 4
- Complications of LP are generally mild and self-limiting, with post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) being the most common complication 2, 4
- The rate of major complications is low, making LP a relatively safe procedure 1, 4
Procedure and Considerations
LP is an important technique for assessing and treating neurological symptoms, and clinicians should be familiar with its considerations, contraindications, procedures, and complications 5
- The procedure involves obtaining cerebrospinal fluid, which must be analyzed for cell count, glucose, and protein concentrations, as well as other analytical studies according to the diagnostic suspicion 1