When the Easy LP Isn't Easy
/Lumbar punctures can be mercurial procedures. There are certainly patients in whom it can be predicted that a lumbar puncture will be challenging. Obesity, patients with known degenerative changes, and agitated patients all present unique challenges when it comes to successfully completing a lumbar puncture. There are patients, however, who throw you a bit of a curveball. Sometimes cooperative patients with good landmarks, in whom you had every expectation that you would find success, become seemingly impossible to successfully complete a lumbar puncture.
For the provider, knowing how to troubleshoot the unexpectedly difficult lumbar puncture can be the difference between success and failure.
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