Lumbar Puncture - Patient Instructions
The procedure will usually be conducted in a hospital room in the medical day stay unit at the hospital. It normally takes about 20 minutes. You will be asked to sign a consent form. You will change into a gown. You will either lay on your side, or sit up on the side of the bed leaning forwards onto a pillow on a side table. Your spine will be cleaned with Betadine antiseptic. The physician will feel your spine, and then infiltrate local anesthetic into the spine at the appropriate level. You will feel a prick from the needle, and then the anesthetic burns a little at first. Then the physician will insert the spinal needle into this inter-space. Sometimes, as the needle enters the spinal canal, it "tickles" the nerve roots, and causes numbness or burning in one leg. If that happens, let the physician know right away so that the needle can be redirected. Once the needle is inserted into the spinal canal, the physician can collect the spinal fluid required for testing. The commonest adverse effect from the procedure is a headache. There are several measures to help prevent this from occurring. After the procedure, you will be kept in bed for at least 2 hours. Even after you go home you should stay laying flat for the remainder of the day. You should just get up to eat or go the bathroom. You should drink plenty of fluids, preferably containing caffeine (like coke or ice tea), and keep hydrated. Hopefully you will feel fine by the next day. If you do have a headache, you should keep lying flat as much as possible for the next day or two, keep drinking plenty of fluids, and take Advil or Tylenol. The headache will usually resolve within 2-3 days. If you still have a severe headache more than 2-3 days after the procedure, you should contact your physician.