Hairshaft in the subarachnoid space following lumbar puncture.
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The role of lumbar puncture and computed tomography scanning for initial diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage has been evaluated in a retrospective survey of 283 consecutive cases. The material has been divided into early-and late-diagnosed cases with 72 hours after bleeding as the demarcation line between groups. The early-diagnosed cases have been further subdivided into patients exhibiting contraindications for lumbar puncture, patients with a typical history of apoplectic headache, and patients presenting with a diffuse noncharacteristic history. Four initially alert patients suffered neurological deterioration associated with the performance of lumbar puncture, which corresponds to a complication rate of 2.2%. It is concluded that all cases of suspected intracranial hemorrhage in the pediatric age group should be immediately investigated by computed tomography. In old age, individual factors determining the patient's operability overshadows all other aspects. In the intermediate age group lumbar puncture is preferable to diagnose subarachnoid hemorrhage in cases first seen in a late stage, due to both the high rate of falsely suspected cases as well as the poor visualization of degenerating blood in the cerebrospinal fluid by computed tomography. In patients suffering severe apoplectic headache with nuchal rigidity, lumbar puncture is without question superfluous. If neck stiffness is not considered, 4.68 computed tomography investigations per 100,000 individuals would be performed yearly in falsely suspected cases, a diminishingly small cost corresponding to less than 1% of all cranial computed tomography scans performed in this region. Early-diagnosed patients with a diffuse atypical history constitute a small, low risk group for lumbar puncture. It may be acceptable in such patients to diagnose subarachnoid hemorrhage either by means of computed tomography or lumbar puncture, depending on the availability of local computed tomography resources.
In pediatric hematology and oncology specialties, lumbar punctures are frequently performed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Lumbar puncture is a procedure that is generally well tolerated with minimal adverse effects. However, adverse effects do occur. Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common adverse effect after lumbar puncture. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of PDPH and attention to needle selection and technique may lessen the occurrence of PDPH. A review of the literature that addresses the variables associated with PDPH and its prevention are presented. Other adverse effects after lumbar puncture include dysesthesias, backache, transient radicular irritation, nerve palsies, infectious processes, herniation, and bleeding disorders. Although most adverse effects are mild and resolve without intervention, others require astute diagnosis and management. This review discusses the general principles in the clinical presentation of adverse effects after lumbar puncture and offers interventions for management. The prevention and the recognition and treatment of adverse effects is the role of the entire health care team that cares for children who require lumbar puncture. As such, implications for the role of nursing are essential before, during, and after a lumbar puncture and are briefly discussed.
Meningitis may be difficult to diagnose. If it is suspected clinically and a first lumbar puncture is normal, a second cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample may be required within a few hours to confirm the diagnosis. A child is presented in whom CSF was normal 14 hours after the onset of illness, but who 14 hours later showed the characteristic changes of purulent meningitis. This case differs from those previously cited in the literature, in that the blood cultures taken at the time of the first lumbar puncture were also negative.
UNLABELLED: Various in vitro models have been introduced for comparative examinations of post-dural-puncture trauma and measurement of liquor leakage through puncture sites. These models allow simulation of subarachnoid, but not of peridural, pressure. A new two-chamber-model realizes the simulation of both subarachnoid and peridural pressure and allows observation of in vitro punctures with video-documentation. Frame grabbing and (computer-aided) image analysis show new aspects of spinal puncture effects. Therefore, post-dural-puncture trauma and retraction can be objectively visualized by this method, which has not previously been demonstrated. METHODS: Two-chamber-model consists of two short aluminium cylinders. Native human dura patches (8X8 mm) from fresh cadavers are put (correctly oriented) between two special polyamide seals. Mounted between the upper and lower cylinder, these seals stretch the dura patch, which remains flexible and even in all directions. After filling of the lower (subarachnoid) and upper (peridural) chamber with Ringer lactate solution, positive or negative physiological pressure can be adjusted by way of two (Ringer lactate solution filled) infusion lines in each chamber. Puncturing is performed at an angle of 57 degrees to the dura. The model allows examination with epi-illumination and transmitted (polarized) light. In vitro punctures are observed through an inverted camera lens with an CCD-Hi8 video camera (Canon UC1HI) looking into the peridural chamber and documented by means of an S-VHS video recorder (Panasonic NV-FS200EG). After true-colour frame grabbing by a video digitizer (Fast Screen Machine II), single video frames can be optimized and analysed with a 486-66 MHz computer and conventional software (Corel Draw 3.0, Photostyler 1.1a, DDL Aequitas 1.00b). Punctures demonstrated in this paper have been done under simulation of a transdural gradient of 20 cm water similar to the situation of a recumbent patient (15 cm water in the subarachnoid and -5 cm water in the peridural chamber). The punctures were followed by short-time observation for up to 10 minutes. RESULTS: By making it possible to obtains a picture of the puncture site at 20-ms intervals (because of the PAL norm of 50 half-frames/s), video-documentation has become accepted as superior to conventional photography. When the Ringer lactate solution in the subarachnoid chamber is stained with methylene blue, transdural leakage can easily be observed. The result of this documentation technique demonstrate that not dural puncture can be atraumatic, when a 29-G Quincke needle is used. Calculation on the difference between a digitized video frame before and after the puncture clearly illustrates the dural trauma. Owing to their non-cutting tip, as expected, pencil-point needles leave diffuse changes across the dura patch, whereas a more local trauma was observed after puncturing with cutting-tip needles. The same computer calculation between two video frames allows examination of post-puncture-dural retraction of the puncture site. In this connection, we found that relevant dural retraction is a phenomenon limited to the first minute after puncture. Thin spinal needles with so-called modern tips (e.g. Whitacre, Atraucan) can minimize the post-dural-puncture trauma, whereas thicker, conventional, spinal needles (Quincke) leave considerable dural defects. CONCLUSIONS: The two-chamber-model presented allows easy simulation of physiological subarachnoid and peridural pressure. The Ringer lactate solution in the subarachnoid chamber corresponds to the liquor, whereas that in the peridural chamber corresponds to the intercellular (peridural) space. The tension of the dural patch between the polyamide seals is similar to the situation in an anotomical model observed by spinaloscopy (in an earlier study). With the video documentation and computer-aided analysis technique introduced, dural trauma and retraction of the puncture site can be examined and demo
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