What to check with a disposable lumbar puncture needle

Lumbar puncture, also known as lumbar puncture, is a method of measuring intracranial pressure and removing cerebrospinal fluid for examination by puncture through the lumbar spinal space. Before the introduction of CT, lumbar puncture was basically required for the diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease, and since CT examination has been widely used, although lumbar puncture is relatively less frequent, CT examination still cannot completely replace lumbar puncture. Some cerebrovascular diseases must also be diagnosed and differentially diagnosed by lumbar puncture examination. When a patient presents with symptoms of meningeal irritation, such as headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness, is it a subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis? To make a differential diagnosis, CT examinations are powerless, whereas lumbar puncture examinations can reveal it at a glance. Also, if the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage is confirmed, releasing 5-10 ml of cerebrospinal fluid during lumbar puncture can have some therapeutic effect, in addition to reducing headache and avoiding the sequelae of subarachnoid adhesions. In addition, lumbar puncture has the function of directly measuring intracranial pressure and laboratory examination of cerebrospinal fluid components.

Although lumbar puncture still occupies a very important position in clinical practice, there are still some patients and family members who are afraid of lumbar puncture, mainly because they are worried that it may damage the spinal cord and affect their health. In fact, these fears are unnecessary. Because the spinal cord has a certain length in the spinal canal. The upper end meets the medulla oblongata at the occipital foramen, and the lower end is cone-shaped at the lower edge of the flat 1st lumbar vertebra, called the spinal cord round vertebra, which divides into many cauda equina-like nerves called cauda equina. In adults, there is no spinal cord below the 1st lumbar vertebra, but a wider pool of cerebrospinal fluid with many cauda equina nerves floating inside. Lumbar puncture is often performed in the 3-4 or 4-5 lumbar spaces so that the spinal nerves are not damaged. In addition, most of the cerebrospinal fluid is water, except for small amounts of sugar, chloride, protein and white blood cells, and it circulates very quickly. The total amount of cerebrospinal fluid in adults is 120-150 ml, and the rate of its production is 400-500 ml in 24 hours, and it is renewed 4-5 times a day, which means that cerebrospinal fluid is constantly produced and absorbed, and it is often in a state of constant renewal to maintain a dynamic balance. Therefore, 2 to 4 ml of cerebrospinal fluid is removed during lumbar puncture, which can be replenished in 10 minutes and will have no effect on the body. Therefore, if the condition requires lumbar puncture, the patient and family should cooperate well with the doctor.