neurologic disorders
How To Do Lumbar Puncture
Complications
 Post–Lumbar Puncture and Other Low–Pressure Headaches None Bleeding into the epidural space (spinal hematoma) Lower back discomfort or pain that may radiate to the posterior legs (self-limited) Epidermoid tumor, occurs years after lumbar puncture; risk is increased if the spinal needle is inserted or withdrawn with the stylet absent (rare) Brain herniation (rare) Cortical blindness (rare) Cervical spinal cord infarction (rare) Transient or permanent deafness (rare) Iatrogenic infection (rare) Transient nausea and/or tinnitus Headache develops after lumbar puncture in about 10% of patients, usually hours to a day or two afterward, and can be severe. Younger patients with a small body mass are at greatest risk. Using narrower, noncutting needles reduces risk. Insert these needles with the bevel facing the patient's right or left side (flank). Neither the amount of CSF removed nor a period of recumbency after lumbar puncture affect incidence. 