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Lumbar puncture (or spinal tap) is used to diagnose certain neurological disorders including infection, inflammation and headache disorders.
Lumbar puncture may be requested to examine cerebrospinal fluid for infection, inflammation, or other neurological disorders. It may also be requested to check the cerebrospinal fluid pressure.
A lumbar puncture is an outpatient procedure performed by doctors with specialist training. Local anaesthetic is injected to numb the skin, a needle is then inserted into the space between the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back and a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is collected.
More information about lumbar puncture and what’s involved, can be found here.
