Importance of Lumbar Disc Puncture

Nowadays, many people suffer from many diseases due to various reasons. When diagnosing some diseases, lumbar disc puncture is needed to confirm the diagnosis. The abbreviation of lumbar disc puncture is lumbar puncture. The operation is very simple and can usually be performed in the outpatient department of the hospital. Although this technology is very mature, there are still some risks, so patients should have some understanding of lumbar puncture before undergoing it.

1. Lumbar puncture is the most important step in diagnosing spinal cord diseases

The first thing a patient should do after discovering that he or she has a spinal cord disease is to get a diagnosis of the disease. Lumbar puncture is the most important step in diagnosis.

The first is to measure the cerebrospinal fluid dynamics (Queckenstedt's test by compressing the jugular vein), the second is to do cerebrospinal fluid laboratory tests, and the third is to simultaneously inject iodine-containing contrast agents or isotope tracers to perform myelography or spinal subarachnoid space scanning.

Dynamic measurements can often reveal subarachnoid obstruction caused by space-occupying lesions in the spinal canal. When the clinical symptoms are mild and no signs of paraplegia appear, there is actually some degree of spinal canal obstruction. Among several common cases of intraspinal tumors in our institute, we found that complete obstruction accounted for 52-70%, incomplete obstruction accounted for 26-45%, and only 3-5.6% were patent according to dynamic measurements.

In addition to identifying the presence of inflammatory cells, the most important thing in cerebrospinal fluid examination is protein quantification, which is evidence of intraspinal subarachnoid obstruction. The more complete the obstruction, the higher the cerebrospinal fluid protein content; the lower the obstruction site, the higher the cerebrospinal fluid protein content. The average protein content of cerebrospinal fluid is the highest in cases of tumors outside the spinal cord and below the dura mater, especially in cases of neuroma, followed by glioma.

Cerebrospinal fluid is generally colorless and transparent. If the protein content is high, it will be yellow and viscous. When the protein content is above 10%, the cerebrospinal fluid can coagulate on its own after flowing out. When the protein content is high and the cell count is normal, it is called "protein separation from cell phenomenon", which is usually an important evidence of intravertebral spinal compression. The cerebrospinal fluid turns yellow and has a high protein content. It coagulates outside the body after flowing out, which is called Froin's sign.

2. Knowing the contraindications of lumbar puncture will make it safer

Lumbar puncture is used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. To perform this procedure safely and effectively, the physician should be aware of the contraindications to lumbar puncture, the relevant anatomy, and methods to minimize the risk of complications. Although lumbar punctures are rarely dangerous, when they occur they can be serious and potentially life-threatening. Understanding the indications, contraindications and correct operating methods of lumbar puncture can minimize the risk of danger.