Traumatic Tap Research Articles

Lowering Platelet Threshold to 20,000/μL for Fluoroscopy-Guided Lumbar Puncture Does Not Result in Observed Clinical Adverse Outcomes.

Fluoroscopic-guided lumbar puncture (FG-LP) is a common neuroradiologic procedure. Traditionally, a minimum platelet count (MPC) of 50,000/μL for this procedure has been required; however, we recently adopted a lower MPC threshold of 20,000/μL. The purpose of this study was to compare adverse events in patients undergoing FG-LP with MPCs above to those below the conventional 50,000/μL threshold. This was an institutional review board-approved, retrospective study on adult patients with hematologic malignancy undergoing FG-LP in the neuroradiology division between May 2021 and December 2022, after lowering the minimal required MPC to 20,000/μL. Recorded data included indication for FG-LP, preprocedure and postprocedure MPC, need for and number of platelet transfusions within 24 hours of FG-LP, presence of traumatic tap, FG-LP-related complications, and any platelet transfusion-related adverse event. Patients were classified into 2 groups based on MPC: (1) those above 50,000/μL and (2) those below 50,000/μL. Descriptive statistics were used comparing these 2 groups. One hundred twenty-eight patients underwent FG-LP, with 46 having an MPC between 20,000 and 50,000/μL and 82 having an MPC above 50,000/μL. No postprocedural complications were encountered in either group. Traumatic taps occurred in 10/46 (22%)​ with MPC below 50,000/μL versus 10/82 (12%)​ in those with MPC above 50,000/μL. Forty of 46 patients (87%) were transfused with platelets within 24 hours prior to FG-LP. One patient developed a transfusion-related reaction. Lowering the MPC threshold from 50,000/μL to 20,000/μL for FG-LP did not result in a higher incidence of spinal hematoma.

An unexpected effect of traumatic and bloody lumbar puncture among patients with primary headaches in emergency department

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the association between traumatic tap and the incidence of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) following lumbar puncture (LP) among patients who underwent LP with a primary discharge diagnosis of primary headache in the emergency department (ED). MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who visited a single tertiary ED with the symptom of a headache and underwent LP for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis between January 2012 and January 2022. Patients who met the definition of PDPH and revisited the ED or outpatient clinic within 2 weeks of discharge were included. For comparative analysis, we divided the groups according to CSF RBC counts (group 1, CSF RBC <10 cells/μL; group 2, 10–100 cells/μL; group 3, ≥100 cells/μL). The primary outcome was the difference in CSF RBC counts between the ED or outpatient clinic revisiting patients who underwent LP within 2 weeks after discharge from the ED. The secondary outcomes were the admission rate and risk factors for PDPH; sex, age, needle size, and CSF pressure. ResultsData from 112 patients were collected; PDPH was reported in 39 patients (34.8%), and 40 (35.7%) patients were admitted. The median (interquartile range) CSF RBC count was 10 [2–100.8] cells/μL. One-way analysis of variance test of the mean differences among the three groups showed no differences in age, the duration of headache before LP, PLT counts, PT, or aPTT among the groups. There were differences in the number of admitted patients (30 vs. 7 vs. 3, P < 0.001) and the incidence of PDPH (29 vs. 6 vs. 4, P < 0.003). In the comparison of the PDPH and non-PDPH groups, there were differences in age (28.7 ± 8.4 years vs. 36.9 ± 18.4 years, P = 0.01) and the admission rate (85% vs. 9%, P < 0.001). ConclusionsNotably, our results suggest that traumatic LP may be an unexpected factor in reducing the occurrence rate of PDPH. Consequently, the admission rate for PDPH was significantly reduced among patients with traumatic LP and those with primary headaches. In this study, we collected and analyzed the data from a relatively small sample size of 112 patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between traumatic LP and PDPH.

Safety of lumbar puncture for people who are treated with ADP receptor antagonists.

Current guidelines state that clopidogrel and other adenosine-diphosphate receptor antagonists (ADPra) should be stopped for at least 7days before lumbar puncture (LP). This practice may delay the diagnosis of treatable neurological emergencies and may increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity due to withholding antiplatelets. We aimed to summarize all cases under our care, in which LP was performed without discontinued ADPra. A retrospective case series study of all patients who underwent LP without interruption of ADPRa or with treatment interruption that was shorter than 7days. Medical records were searched for documented complications. Traumatic tap was defined as cerebrospinal fluid red cell count ≥ 1000 cell/μL. Incidence of traumatic tap among people who underwent LP under ADPRa was compared to traumatic tap incidence in two control groups: LP under aspirin and LP without any anti-platelet. 159 patients underwent LP under ADPRa [Age: 68.4 ± 12.1, Female: 63 (40%), 81 (51%) were treated with both aspirin and ADPRa]. 116 procedures were carried out without any interruption of ADPRa. In the other 43, the median delay between treatment interruption and the procedure was 2days (range: 1-6days). Incidence of traumatic tap was 8/159 (5%), 9/159 (5.7%) and 4/160 (2.5%) among those who underwent LP under ADPRa, under aspirin and without any anti-platelet, respectively. [X2(2) = 2.13, P = 0.35)]. No patient developed spinal hematoma or any neurological deficit. Lumbar puncture without discontinuation of ADP receptor antagonists seems safe. Similar case series may ultimately lead to guidelines change.

Comparing Ultrasonography and Surface Landmark-Guided Lumbar Puncture in Patients with Obesity and Difficult Anatomy; a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Previous studies have shown higher lumbar puncture (LP) success rates when using ultrasound guidance. This study aimed to compare the first-attempt success rate of ultrasound-guided LP with blind technique of needle insertion using the palpable spinal surface landmark in patients with obesity or a difficult anatomy. This prospective randomized controlled study was performed at the emergency department of Ramathibodi Hospital, an academic tertiary university hospital, from August 2015 to July 2016. 40 patients were enrolled (20 surface landmark-guided and 20 ultrasound-guided LPs). 52.5% of the patients were male with the mean age of 60.33 ± 4.24 years. The first-attempt success rate in the ultrasound-guided LP group was significantly higher than the landmark-guided LP group (80% vs. 35%, respectively), with risk difference (RD) of 45.00% (95% confidence interval (CI): 17.72%, 72.28%). This indicated absolute risk reduction and number needed to treat of 45.00% and 2.22, respectively. The median procedural duration required to achieve successful LP in the ultrasound-guided LP group was significantly shorter than the surface landmark-guided LP group (5 [IQR: 3-18] minutes vs. 13.5 [IQR: 5-30] minutes, respectively). Traumatic puncture as a complication occurred less frequently in the ultrasound-guided LP group than the surface landmark-guided LP group with risk ratio (RR) = 0.33 (95% CI: 0.08, 1.46) and RD = -20.00% (95% CI: -44.00%, 4.00%). This indicated absolute risk reduction and number needed to harm of 20.00% and 5.00, respectively. However, the difference was not significant. Using ultrasound to help localize the insertion point before LP increased the first-attempt success rate and improved other LP outcomes in Thai patients with obesity or a difficult anatomy. It also shortened the procedural duration and reduced the incidence of traumatic tap.

The AIUM Practice Parameter for the Performance of an Ultrasound Examination of the Neonatal and Infant Spine.

The AIUM Practice Parameter for the Performance of an Ultrasound Examination of the Neonatal and Infant Spine.

The value of repeated lumbar puncture to test for xanthochromia, in patients with clinical suspicion of subarachnoid haemorrhage, with CT-negative and initial traumatic tap

Objectives For the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) xanthochromia is still considered the gold standard for patients with a thunderclap headache, in the absence of blood on brain CT scan. However, a traumatic lumbar puncture (LP) typically results in high concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin in CSF, impairing the detection of xanthochromia and preventing the reliable exclusion of SAH. In this context, the value of a repeat lumbar puncture has not yet been described. Materials and methods A retrospective case series of suspected SAH patients, with a negative CT scan and initial traumatic LP, managed with a repeat LP to assess for CSF xanthochromia. Clinical notes, laboratory and imaging results were reviewed. Results Between August 2011 and January 2020, 31 patients with suspected SAH were referred to our neurosurgical unit following negative CT and traumatic LP. A repeat LP was performed in 7 of the 31 patients, 2.4 days (±0.79 SD) after the first traumatic LP. CSF spectrophotometry analysis from repeated LP in all 7 patients was negative for xanthochromia. No adverse clinical events were recorded on average 18 months following discharge. Conclusion A repeat LP performed following a traumatic tap can still yield xanthochromia-negative CSF, thereby, excluding SAH, avoiding unnecessary invasive angiography and overall promoting the safer management of these patients.

Author Response: A Prospective Study of Neurologic Disorders in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in New York City.

We appreciate the comments by Kumar et al. on our article.1 The referenced Kremer study2 was a retrospective case series and included patients with positive MRI findings only. It is unclear whether the patients with the diagnosis of “encephalitis” met diagnostic or causal criteria outlined by the International Encephalitis Consortium3 and others.4 Indeed, CSF SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR was negative in 20 patients. In 2 of 3 with CSF pleocytosis (>5 cell/mm3), imaging was performed >2 weeks from symptom onset, possibly representing postinfectious autoimmune encephalitis and not infectious encephalitis. Many of the MRI findings described are nonspecific and can be seen in hypoxic/ischemic brain injury, metabolic encephalopathy, or postseizure. Notably, 100% of “encephalitis” patients required oxygen and 75% had ARDS, suggesting that a proportion of the MRI changes may represent hypoxic/ischemic injury (defined as a global insult due to hypoxemia, hypotension, or cardiac arrest). Although we detected elevated CSF protein in some patients,1 this is nonspecific and can be found in stroke, hemorrhage (or traumatic tap), hypoxic/ischemic injury, diabetes, uremia, tumor, neuropathy, and many other conditions. Because the implications of SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism are far reaching, we believe that it is critical to follow the most rigorous standards and criteria when ascribing encephalitis/meningitis/myelitis to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neuraxial Hematoma Following Lumbar Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage in Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair

Cerebrospinal fluid drainage is recommended for spinal cord protection in open and endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repairs. We report a case of spinal hematoma following lumbar drain removal in a patient who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair for DeBakey type III aortic dissection. There is always a debate concerning placement of lumbar drain on the day of the procedure, postponement of the procedure if a traumatic tap is encountered and type of spinal catheter to avoid spinal hematoma in TAAA repairs. The practice of timing of catheter placement and choice of the type of catheter for lumbar varies with institutional practice, and there has been no recommendation regarding the safe practice for avoiding spinal hematoma. Avoiding traumatic tap during lumbar drain placement, team approach of an anesthesiologist, an interventional cardiologist, and a surgeon for decision-making to continue or postpone the procedure and timing of anticoagulation, meticulous neurological monitoring throughout the hospital stay of the patient can avoid spinal hematoma and sequelae.

Retrospective evaluation of lumbar puncture and intrathecal chemotherapy in thrombocytopenic patients

IntroductionLumbar puncture (LP) and intrathecal chemotherapy (IT CT) are common procedures and treatment options for hematologic patients. Although they can also be used in thrombocytopenic patients, there is no consensus on the safe cutoff value of platelet counts for LP and IT CT practices. AimThis research aimed to determine the safety of LP and IT CT administration in thrombocytopenic patients using different cutoff platelet values. MethodsOne hundred and fifty-two adult patients who had LP indications were evaluated. Among them, 42 patients received IT CT. The cerebrospinal fluid results from 100 procedures were available. ResultsThe preprocedural platelet count was <100.000/mm3 and <50.000/mm3 in 41 (41 %) and 18 (18 %) patients, respectively. Ten of these patients received platelet transfusion prior to LP. In the untransfused group, the platelet count was <50.000/mm3 in 12 (12 %) patients, among whom seven patients had a platelet count of <30.000/mm3. The traumatic tap was comparable among the transfused and untransfused groups (p = 0.632). No correlation was observed between the thrombocyte value and the traumatic tap (p = 0.891). The ratio of the traumatic tap was not significant between the patient groups with a platelet count of ≥50.000/mm3 or <50.000/mm3 (p = 0.418). After adding the transfused patients, the traumatic tap ratio remained nonsignificant between the two groups (p = 0.851). ConclusionHemorrhagic complications were rare in the thrombocytopenic patients who received IT CT after the LP procedure applied by experienced specialists. However, further prospective large studies evaluating the safety of procedures in thrombocytopenic patients are needed to make clear conclusion.

Association of Lumbar Puncture With Spinal Hematoma in Patients With and Without Coagulopathy

Coagulopathy may deter physicians from performing a lumbar puncture. To determine the risk of spinal hematoma after lumbar puncture in patients with and without coagulopathy. Danish nationwide, population-based cohort study using medical registries to identify persons who underwent lumbar puncture and had cerebrospinal fluid analysis (January 1, 2008-December 31, 2018; followed up through October 30, 2019). Coagulopathy was defined as platelets lower than 150 × 109/L, international normalized ratio (INR) greater than 1.4, or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) longer than 39 seconds. Coagulopathy at the time of lumbar puncture. Thirty-day risk of spinal hematoma. Risks were provided as numbers and percentages with 95% CIs. Secondary analyses included risks of traumatic lumbar puncture (>300 × 106 erythrocytes/L after excluding patients diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage). Adjusted hazard rate ratios (HRs) were computed using Cox regression models. A total of 83 711 individual lumbar punctures were identified among 64 730 persons (51% female; median age, 43 years [interquartile range, 22-62 years]) at the time of the procedure. Thrombocytopenia was present in 7875 patients (9%), high INR levels in 1393 (2%), and prolonged APTT in 2604 (3%). Follow-up was complete for more than 99% of the study participants. Overall, spinal hematoma occurred within 30 days for 99 of 49 526 patients (0.20%; 95% CI, 0.16%-0.24%) without coagulopathy vs 24 of 10 371 patients (0.23%; 95% CI, 0.15%-0.34%) with coagulopathy. Independent risk factors for spinal hematoma were male sex (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.72; 95% CI, 1.15-2.56), those aged 41 through 60 years (adjusted HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.01-3.81) and those aged 61 through 80 years (adjusted HR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.12-4.33). Risks did not increase significantly according to overall severity of coagulopathy, in subgroup analyses of severity of coagulopathy by pediatric specialty or medical indication (infection, neurological condition, and hematological malignancy), nor by cumulative number of procedures. Traumatic lumbar punctures occurred more frequently among patients with INR levels of 1.5 to 2.0 (36.8%; 95% CI, 33.3%-40.4%), 2.1 to 2.5 (43.7%; 95% CI, 35.8%-51.8%), and 2.6 to 3.0 (41.9% 95% CI 30.5-53.9) vs those with normal INR (28.2%; 95% CI, 27.7%-28.75%). Traumatic spinal tap occurred more often in patients with an APTT of 40 to 60 seconds (26.3%; 95% CI, 24.2%-28.5%) vs those with normal APTT (21.3%; 95% CI, 20.6%-21.9%) yielding a risk difference of 5.1% (95% CI, 2.9%-7.2%). In this Danish cohort study, risk of spinal hematoma following lumbar puncture was 0.20% among patients without coagulopathy and 0.23% among those with coagulopathy. Although these findings may inform decision-making about lumbar puncture by describing rates in this sample, the observed rates may reflect bias due to physicians selecting relatively low-risk patients for lumbar puncture.

Complications associated with lumbar drain placement for endovascular aortic repair

ObjectiveWe reviewed the complications associated with perioperative lumbar drain (LD) placement for endovascular aortic repair. MethodsPatients who had undergone perioperative LD placement for endovascular repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies from 2010 to 2019 were reviewed. The primary endpoints were major and minor LD-associated complications. Complications that had resulted in neurological sequelae or had required an intervention or a delay in operation were defined as major. These included intracranial hemorrhage, symptomatic spinal hematoma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak requiring intervention, meningitis, retained catheter tip, arachnoiditis, and traumatic (or bloody) tap resulting in delayed operation. Minor complications were defined as a bloody tap without a delay in surgery, asymptomatic epidural hematoma, and CSF leak with no intervention required. Isolated headaches were recorded separately owing to the minimal clinical impact. ResultsA total of 309 LDs had been placed in 268 consecutive patients for 222 thoracic endovascular aortic repairs, 85 complex endovascular aortic repairs (EVARs; fenestrated branched EVAR/parallel grafting), and 2 EVARs (age, 65 ± 13 years; 71% male) for aortic pathology, including aneurysm (47%), dissection (49%), penetrating aortic ulcer (3%), and traumatic injury (0.6%). A dedicated neurosurgical team performed all LD procedures; most were performed by the same individual, with a technical success rate of 98%. Radiologic guidance was required in 3%. The reasons for unsuccessful placement were body habitus (n = 2) and severe spinal disease (n = 3). Most were placed prophylactically (96%). The overall complication rate was 8.1% (4.2% major and 3.9% minor). Major complications included spinal hematoma with paraplegia in 1 patient, intracranial hemorrhage in 2, meningitis in 2, arachnoiditis in 3, CSF leak requiring a blood patch in 3, bloody tap delaying the operation in 1, and a retained catheter tip in 1 patient. Patients who had undergone previous LD placement had experienced significantly more major LD-related complications (12.2% vs 3%; P = .019). The rate of total LD-associated complications did not differ between prophylactic and emergent therapeutic placements (8.1% vs 7.7%; P = 1.00) nor between major or minor complications. On multivariate analysis, previous LD placement and an overweight body mass index were the only independent predictors of major LD-related complications. ConclusionsThe complications associated with LD placement can be severe even when performed by a dedicated team. Previous LD placement and overweight body mass index were associated with a significantly greater risk of complications; however, emergent therapeutic placement was not. Although these risks are justified for therapeutic LD placement, the benefit of prophylactic LD placement to prevent paraplegia should be weighed against these serious complications.

Spinal ultrasound after failed landmarked-based lumbar puncture: a single institutional experience.

The safety and efficacy of US-guided lumbar puncture in children has been described. In the pediatric setting, children are frequently referred to interventional radiology only after a failed landmark-based attempt. Routine pre-procedure US in these children is useful to determine a safe level for subarachnoid access and to optimize success. To determine whether pre-procedure US improves technical success and safety of US-guided lumbar puncture. We included 47 children. Inclusion criteria were urgent US-guided lumbar puncture in pediatric patients <18years old. Exclusion criteria were non-urgent lumbar punctures, children referred without an antecedent landmark-based attempt, lumbar punctures performed with fluoroscopic guidance, and procedures performed prior to introducing the diagnostic approach in 2017. We did not evaluate data pertaining to successful landmark-based lumbar punctures performed without subsequent need for additional attempts. We recorded technical successes, adverse events and relevant abnormalities identified on pre-procedural US. Thirty-six US-guided lumbar punctures were performed with 100% technical success. Eleven children referred to interventional radiology did not undergo lumbar puncture because of unfavorable US findings or interval clinical improvement obviating the need for lumbar puncture. Thirty-six children underwent US evaluation of the thecal sac prior to potential intervention. Of these 36 with pre-procedural US studies, 12 demonstrated paucity of cerebrospinal fluid and 14 demonstrated an epidural hematoma. Fifteen children who underwent lumbar puncture had a "traumatic tap," classified as a mild adverse event. No moderate or severe adverse events were recorded. Limited spinal US following failed landmark-based lumbar punctures frequently identifies procedure-related complications and can augment patient selection for future image-guided lumbar punctures.

Risk of Hematoma From Aspirin or Clopidogrel Owing to Lumbar Puncture

Neurologists are worried about bleeding and complications from lumbar punctures in patients who use antiplatelet agents, such as aspirin and clopidogrel. We evaluated the bleeding risks of performing lumbar punctures in patients who are using or have recently used antiplatelet agents by retrospective review of lumbar punctures performed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between 2004 and 2018 in patients who were actively using or recently used aspirin or clopidogrel, or both. Patients were stratified into time groups based on when the lumbar puncture was done relative to the time the antiplatelet drug was discontinued: <1 week, 1-4 weeks, >4 weeks. We recorded red blood cell counts for the earliest and latest spinal fluid collections to determine the risk of traumatic bleeding; we also noted any complications. Antiplatelet medication use within 1 week of lumbar puncture was associated with a 3% incidence of bloody tap and 4% incidence of traumatic tap that cleared. In the group of patients who waited for a lumbar puncture at least 4 weeks after discontinuation of antiplatelet drug, there was a 5% incidence of bloody or traumatic tap. There was no difference in rates of bleeding between aspirin versus aspirin plus clopidogrel. The rate of hematoma complications was highest in the group of patients on aspirin at the time of the procedure (0.7%). Aspirin or clopidogrel, or both, did not meaningfully increase hemorrhagic complications in patients undergoing lumbar punctures, regardless of when the antiplatelet drug was discontinued relative to the time of the procedure.

Surveying the Literature

Surveying the Literature

Use of platelet transfusions prior to lumbar punctures or epidural anaesthesia for the prevention of complications in people with thrombocytopenia.

Use of platelet transfusions prior to lumbar punctures or epidural anaesthesia for the prevention of complications in people with thrombocytopenia.

Determining the Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Lactate Dehydrogenase Level in Differentiating Subarachnoid Hemorrhage From Traumatic Lumbar Puncture.

Context Lumbar puncture (LP) is still an important modality in the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Rapid and correct fluid analysis can provide patients with a better prognosis by appropriate intervention. Objective To determine the value of cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase level in differentiation between SAH and traumatic LP. Design This was a cross-sectional observational study. Patients with a diagnostic suspicion of SAH who were admitted to the emergency department were enrolled in our study based on the inclusion criteria. All patients underwent head computed tomography scan without contrast. Patients with SAH confirmed on computed tomography scan and those who needed surgical intervention underwent LP by the neurosurgical service in the operation room (group 1). Other patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria but had a traumatic LP in the emergency setting were also enrolled in our study (group 2). The fluid samples of all LPs were sent to the laboratory to be analyzed. Finally, we compared the results of the 2 groups with each other. Results Fifty-two patients were enrolled in our study, 26 patients (50%) from each group. The cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase level was significantly higher in group 1 than it was in group 2 ( P < .001), and based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the significant level of cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase to differentiate SAH from traumatic LP was estimated to be 185. The red blood cell and white blood cell counts were significantly higher in group 1 than they were in group 2 ( P < .001). Conclusions Cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase can effectively differentiate SAH from traumatic tap in LP samples.

Atraumatic versus conventional lumbar puncture needles: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Atraumatic needles have been proposed to lower complication rates after lumbar puncture. However, several surveys indicate that clinical adoption of these needles remains poor. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare patient outcomes after lumbar puncture with atraumatic needles and conventional needles. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we independently searched 13 databases with no language restrictions from inception to Aug 15, 2017, for randomised controlled trials comparing the use of atraumatic needles and conventional needles for any lumbar puncture indication. Randomised trials comparing atraumatic and conventional needles in which no dural puncture was done (epidural injections) or without a conventional needle control group were excluded. We screened studies and extracted data from published reports independently. The primary outcome of postdural-puncture headache incidence and additional safety and efficacy outcomes were assessed by random-effects and fixed-effects meta-analysis. This study is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, number CRD42016047546. We identified 20 241 reports; after exclusions, 110 trials done between 1989 and 2017 from 29 countries, including a total of 31 412 participants, were eligible for analysis. The incidence of postdural-puncture headache was significantly reduced from 11·0% (95% CI 9·1-13·3) in the conventional needle group to 4·2% (3·3-5·2) in the atraumatic group (relative risk 0·40, 95% CI 0·34-0·47, p<0·0001; I2=45·4%). Atraumatic needles were also associated with significant reductions in the need for intravenous fluid or controlled analgesia (0·44, 95% CI 0·29-0·64; p<0·0001), need for epidural blood patch (0·50, 0·33-0·75; p=0·001), any headache (0·50, 0·43-0·57; p<0·0001), mild headache (0·52, 0·38-0·70; p<0·0001), severe headache (0·41, 0·28-0·59; p<0·0001), nerve root irritation (0·71, 0·54-0·92; p=0·011), and hearing disturbance (0·25, 0·11-0·60; p=0·002). Success of lumbar puncture on first attempt, failure rate, mean number of attempts, and the incidence of traumatic tap and backache did not differ significantly between the two needle groups. Prespecified subgroup analyses of postdural-puncture headache revealed no interactions between needle type and patient age, sex, use of prophylactic intravenous fluid, needle gauge, patient position, indication for lumbar puncture, bed rest after puncture, or clinician specialty. These results were rated high-quality evidence as examined using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation. Among patients who had lumbar puncture, atraumatic needles were associated with a decrease in the incidence of postdural-puncture headache and in the need for patients to return to hospital for additional therapy, and had similar efficacy to conventional needles. These findings offer clinicians and stakeholders a comprehensive assessment and high-quality evidence for the safety and efficacy of atraumatic needles as a superior option for patients who require lumbar puncture. None.

Central nervous system disease in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

Central nervous system disease in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

Cerebrospinal fluid procalcitonin as a biomarker of bacterial meningitis in neonates.

The objective of the study was to study the performance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) procalcitonin as a marker for bacterial meningitis in neonates, and to determine its optimal 'cutoff' in CSF that can be called significant for the diagnosis. Neonates qualifying for lumbar puncture were prospectively studied. Procalcitonin and established CSF parameters were recorded. At a cut-off value of 0.33 ng ml-1, CSF procalcitonin had a sensitivity of 0.92, specificity of 0.87, with positive and negative likelihood ratios of 7.13 and 0.092, respectively. The area under the curve for different CSF parameters was: 0.926 (0.887 to 0.964) (P<0.001) for procalcitonin, 0.965 (0.956 to 0.974) for total leukocyte count, 0.961 (0.94 to 0.983) for neutrophil count, 0.874 (0.825 to 0.923) for protein, 0.946 (0.914 to 0.978) for sugar and 0.92 (0.955 to 0.992) for CSF:serum sugar ratio. The lumbar puncture was traumatic in 36 (21.4%) patients; out of these 15 (41.7%) had bacterial meningitis and 21 (58.3%) had no meningitis. In traumatic lumbar tap group, the median (IQR) CSF procalcitonin in patients with and without meningitis was 1.41 (0.32-3.42) ng/ml and 0.21(0.20-0.31) ng/ml respectively (p<0.05). Procalcitonin measurement has diagnostic efficiency similar to the established CSF markers. Routine assessment of procalcitonin in clean non-contaminated CSF may not yield additional information, but it may have clinical utility in situations where diagnosis of meningitis is in dilemma, as in the case of blood contamination of CSF in traumatic lumbar punctures.

The Effect of Traumatic Diagnostic Lumbar Puncture in De Novo Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia - a Report from the Children's Oncology Group

Background - In many adult protocols for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the standard of care is to perform a lumbar puncture (LP) at the time of diagnosis only if there are central nervous system (CNS) symptoms present, and if absent, the LP is performed after a period of systemic therapy in order to avoid contamination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with circulating blasts in the case of a traumatic LP, or is not done at all. This differs from the practice in pediatric AML protocols where LP is performed as part of the diagnostic workup and intrathecal (IT) cytarabine given at the time of the diagnostic LP, as well as during therapy, similar to the pediatric ALL approach. We sought to determine the effect of an initial traumatic LP in a large cohort of pediatric patients with de novo AML.Methods - Treatment protocols COG AAML03P1 and AAML0531 enrolled 1344 patients with diagnostic LP and outcome data available. In these protocols, patients identified to be CNS2 (0-5 WBC with blasts present) or CNS3 (>5 WBC with blasts or CNS symptoms at diagnosis) prior to systemic therapy received additional IT therapy, while CNS1 (no blasts) patients received IT therapy only at the beginning of most courses of chemotherapy. Patients were analyzed for CNS status as well as diagnostic LP red cell count. A diagnostic LP with greater than 100 red blood cells was considered traumatic. The effect of traumatic LP on outcome was analyzed.Results - Among these patients, 949 were CNS1, 217 were CNS2 and 178 were CNS3. In looking at percentage of patients with more than 100 RBC in the CSF, there were 52 (5.48%) CNS1, 12 (5.53%) CNS2 and 55 (30.9%) CNS3 (three group comparison, p<0.001). As well, in patients with 6 to 100 RBC in the CSF in each CNS group there was a significant difference with 150 (15.81%) CNS1, 64 (29.49%) CNS2 and 45 (25.28%) CNS3 patients, (p<0.001). Figure 1 shows the number of patients in each CNS group with number of RBC in the diagnostic LP. The number of RBC in the CSF did not correlate with the degree of peripheral blood hyperleukocytosis.The outcomes of patients with traumatic initial LP showed that patients who had a traumatic initial LP did not have a significantly different OS (HR 1.14, p=0.405) or EFS (HR 1.22, p=0.132) from study entry, nor RR (HR 1.06, p=0.769) or TRM (HR 1.30, p=0.510) compared to those with an atraumatic LP. This was similarly seen in the subgroups, CNS1, CNS2, and CNS3. In examining patients with 0 RBC in their initial CSF, OS was similar among the CNS1, CNS2 and CNS3 patients (62.6%, 62.7% and 66.4% respectively, p=0.974). The OS was also similar for patients with <100 RBC (64.5% ± 2.8%) and >100 RBC (63.0% ±9.1%). In examining outcomes of CNS3 patients with a traumatic tap, there were no significant differences in OS, EFS, or RR among those with traumatic tap and those without. Overall though, multivariable analyses showed that CNS3 patients had significantly worse EFS from study entry compared to CNS1 and CNS2 patients (HR 1.58, p<0.001) due to a higher RR (HR 1.64, p=0.003). The CNS3 patients with traumatic LP had similar OS and EFS compared to those without traumatic LP (OS 63.5% ± 15.2% vs 60.8% ± 11.4% respectively, and EFS 43.4% ± 15.3% vs 35.5% ± 10.9% respectively).Conclusion - There were significantly more CNS3 patients with >100 RBC in the CSF than in the other 2 CNS groups. Outcome for these patients with traumatic LP vs those with atraumatic LP however were not different for EFS, OS or RR for all 3 CNS groups. It is likely that more than half of the CNS3 patients received extra IT therapy due to traumatic LP. In the majority of cases these IT therapies were given with sedation, potentially unnecessarily. The concern though that a traumatic initial LP contributes to worse outcome in CNS3 patients is not warranted. Delaying initial LP to align with adult practice, when peripheral blasts are cleared, would not change prognosis, but may lessen the number of patients who need additional IT therapy from traumatic LPs, thus sparing a significant proportion of children unnecessary procedures and CNS directed chemotherapy. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.