Is Computed Tomography of the Head Useful Before Lumbar Puncture?

Is computed tomography of the head useful before lumbar puncture?

Computed tomography of the head before lumbar puncture in adults with suspected meningitis.

BACKGROUND In adults with suspected meningitis clinicians routinely order computed tomography (CT) of the head before performing a lumbar puncture. METHODS We prospectively studied 301 adults with suspected meningitis to determine whether clinical characteristics that were present before CT of the head was performed could be used to identify patients who were unlikely to have abnormalities on...

Cranial computed tomography before lumbar puncture: a prospective clinical evaluation.

OBJECTIVE To prospectively identify which patients can safely undergo lumbar puncture (LP) without screening cranial computed tomography (CT). METHODS Emergency department physicians examined patients before CT. Examiners recorded the presence or absence of 10 clinical findings and answered 8 additional questions. The criterion standard was noncontrast cranial CT interpreted by staff radiolog...

Contraindications to lumbar puncture as defined by computed cranial tomography.

Papilloedema is not always an adequate predictor of potential complications from lumbar puncture, and many clinicians are using computed tomography (CT) before lumbar puncture in an effort to identify more accurately the "at risk" patient. This paper identifies the following anatomical criteria defined by CT scanning that correlate with unequal pressures between intracranial compartments and pr...

IS LUMBAR PUNCTURE JUSTIFIABLE IN THE FIRST FEBRILE SEIZURE?

To ascertain whether LP was justifiable in cases of first simple febrile seizure, the records of128 such patients were critically reviewed in this study. It was evident that in 90% of those who received cerebrospinal fluid examination as a routine work up, lumbar puncture could have been avoided if the definition of simple febrile seizure was adhered to and the history and clinical finding...