Randomised controlled trial of atraumatic versus standard needles for diagnostic lumbar puncture.
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OBJECTIVE: To compare the ease of use of atraumatic needles with standard needles for diagnostic lumbar puncture and the incidence of headache after their use. DESIGN: Double blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Investigation ward of a neurology unit in a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 116 patients requiring elective diagnostic lumbar puncture. INTERVENTIONS: Standardised protocol for lumbar puncture with 20 gauge atraumatic or standard needles. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary end point was intention to treat analysis of incidence of moderate to severe headache, assessed at one week by telephone interview. Secondary end points were incidence of headache at one week analysed by needle type, ease of use by operator according to a visual analogue scale, incidence of backache, and failure rate of puncture. RESULTS: Valid outcome data were available for 97 of 101 patients randomised. Baseline characteristics were matched except for higher body mass index in the standard needle group. By an intention to treat analysis the absolute risk of moderate to severe headache with atraumatic needles was reduced by 26% (95% confidence interval 6% to 45%) compared with standard needles, but there was a non-significantly greater absolute risk of multiple attempts at lumbar puncture (14%, -4% to 32%). Higher body mass index was associated with an increased failure rate with atraumatic needles, but the reduced incidence of headache was maintained. The need for medical interventions was reduced by 20% (1% to 40%). CONCLUSIONS: Atraumatic needles significantly reduced the incidence of moderate to severe headache and the need for medical interventions after diagnostic lumbar punctures, but they were associated with a higher failure rate than standard needles. (+info)
Traumatic lumbar puncture at diagnosis adversely affects outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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The effect of traumatic lumbar puncture at the time of initial diagnostic workup on treatment outcome in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was investigated. The findings of the first 2 lumbar punctures performed on 546 patients with newly diagnosed ALL treated on 2 consecutive front-line studies (1984-1991) at St Jude Children's Research Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Lumbar punctures were performed at the time of diagnosis and again for the instillation of first intrathecal chemotherapy. The event-free survival (EFS) experience for patients with 1 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample contaminated with blast cells was worse than that for patients with no contaminated CSF samples (P =.026); that of patients with 2 consecutive contaminated CSF samples was particularly poor (5-year EFS = 46 +/- 9%). In a Cox multiple regression analysis, the strongest prognostic indicator was 2 consecutive contaminated CSF samples, with a hazard ratio of 2.39 (95% confidence interval, 1. 36-4.20). These data indicate that contamination of CSF with circulating leukemic blast cells during diagnostic lumbar puncture can adversely affect the treatment outcome of children with ALL and is an indication to intensify intrathecal therapy. (+info)
Autosomal dominant transmission of GLUT1 deficiency.
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GLUT1 deficiency is caused by a defect in the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT1. Impaired glucose transport across brain tissue barriers is reflected by hypoglycorrhachia and results in an epileptic encephalopathy with developmental delay and motor disorders. Recently heterozygous mutations in the GLUT1 gene (1p35-31.3) have been reported in sporadic patients. Parents and siblings carried the GLUT1 wild-type, suggesting a de novo, autosomal dominant condition resulting from GLUT1 haploinsufficiency. We report a father and two children from separate marriages affected by GLUT1 deficiency and carrying a novel heterozygous missense mutation (G272A) in the GLUT1 gene. Mutations were identified by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing and confirmed by restriction fragment digest. The predicted amino acid change (Gly91Asp) affects an Arg-X-Gly-Arg-Arg motif between helices 2 and 3 that represents a cytoplasmic anchor point and is highly conserved among transporters of the major facilitator superfamily down to yeast and bacteria. GLUT1 immunoreactivity was normal, but 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake into erythrocytes was significantly reduced, suggesting a quantitatively normal, but functionally impaired, GLUT1 protein at the cell membrane. This is the first report of autosomal dominant transmission of GLUT1 deficiency, confirming that this condition is the result of haploinsufficiency. The Gly-->Asp mutation within a highly conserved sequence highlights its importance for GLUT1 function. GLUT1 deficiency should be considered in patients with epilepsy, mental retardation and motor disorders. Our observations have bearing on the identification of this treatable disorder in pediatric and adult patients, will modify current biochemical protocols which use parental controls and will enable genetic counseling of affected families. (+info)
Subarachnoid haemorrhage: diagnosis, causes and management.
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The incidence of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is stable, at around six cases per 100 000 patient years. Any apparent decrease is attributable to a higher rate of CT scanning, by which other haemorrhagic conditions are excluded. Most patients are <60 years of age. Risk factors are the same as for stroke in general; genetic factors operate in only a minority. Case fatality is approximately 50% overall (including pre-hospital deaths) and one-third of survivors remain dependent. Sudden, explosive headache is a cardinal but non-specific feature in the diagnosis of SAH: in general practice, the cause is innocuous in nine out of 10 patients in whom this is the only symptom. CT scanning is mandatory in all, to be followed by (delayed) lumbar puncture if CT is negative. The cause of SAH is a ruptured aneurysm in 85% of cases, non-aneurysmal perimesencephalic haemorrhage (with excellent prognosis) in 10%, and a variety of rare conditions in 5%. Catheter angiography for detecting aneurysms is gradually being replaced by CT angiography. A poor clinical condition on admission may be caused by a remediable complication of the initial bleed or a recurrent haemorrhage in the form of intracranial haematoma, acute hydrocephalus or global brain ischaemia. Occlusion of the aneurysm effectively prevents rebleeding, but there is a dearth of controlled trials assessing the relative benefits of early operation (within 3 days) versus late operation (day 10-12), or that of endovascular treatment versus any operation. Antifibrinolytic drugs reduce the risk of rebleeding, but do not improve overall outcome. Measures of proven value in decreasing the risk of delayed cerebral ischaemia are a liberal supply of fluids, avoidance of antihypertensive drugs and administration of nimodipine. Once ischaemia has occurred, treatment regimens such as a combination of induced hypertension and hypervolaemia, or transluminal angioplasty, are plausible, but of unproven benefit. (+info)
MR imaging of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
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We report the case of a 9-year-old male patient with idiopathic intracranial hypertension without papilledema for which MR imaging of the optic nerves and pituitary gland provided important clues for the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and showed a return to normal appearance after normalization of CSF pressure. (+info)
Evaluation of acute headaches in adults.
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Classifying headaches as primary (migraine, tension-type or cluster) or secondary can facilitate evaluation and management A detailed headache history helps to distinguish among the primary headache disorders. "Red flags" for secondary disorders include sudden onset of headache, onset of headache after 50 years of age, increased frequency or severity of headache, new onset of headache with an underlying medical condition, headache with concomitant systemic illness, focal neurologic signs or symptoms, papilledema and headache subsequent to head trauma. A thorough neurologic examination should be performed, with abnormal findings warranting neuroimaging to rule out intracranial pathology. The preferred imaging modality to rule out hemorrhage is noncontrast computed tomographic (CT) scanning followed by lumbar puncture if the CT scan is normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more expensive than CT scanning and less widely available; however, MRI reveals more detail and is necessary for imaging the posterior fossa. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis can help to confirm or rule out hemorrhage, infection, tumor and disorders related to CSF hypertension or hypotension. Referral is appropriate for patients with headaches that are difficult to diagnose, or that worsen or fail to respond to management (+info)
Fluoroscopy-guided lumbar puncture: decreased frequency of traumatic tap and implications for the assessment of CT-negative acute subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and negative CT findings, the iatrogenic introduction of RBCs into the CSF during lumbar puncture may lead to a misdiagnosis. We tested the hypothesis that the risk of traumatic lumbar puncture is lower with the fluoroscopy-guided technique than with the standard bedside technique. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from two populations: adult inpatients undergoing standard bedside lumbar puncture for any reason and adult patients undergoing fluoroscopy-guided lumbar puncture for myelography. Patients with SAH and CSF samples with significant abnormalities other than erythrocytosis (ie, CSF leukocytosis, xanthochromia, or elevated protein) were excluded. In all, 1489 bedside procedures and 723 fluoroscopy-guided procedures met the criteria. RESULTS: We found a significant difference in the level of iatrogenic CSF erythrocytosis produced by the two procedures. Using a cutoff of 1000 cells/mm(3), the frequency of traumatic lumbar puncture was 10.1% for bedside lumbar puncture and 3.5% for fluoroscopy-guided lumbar puncture. With fluoroscopic guidance, the frequency of a traumatic tap varied significantly with the operator, ranging from 0% to 24%. CONCLUSION: The use of fluoroscopy-guided lumbar puncture in patients with suspected SAH and negative CT findings should reduce the frequency of false-positive diagnoses of acute SAH as well as the number of unnecessary angiograms for patients with suspected SAH but no underlying intracranial vascular malformation. (+info)
A comparison between ventricular and lumbar cerebrospinal fluid cytology in adult patients with leptomeningeal metastases.
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Leptomeningeal metastases (LMs) are common metastatic complications, occurring in at least 5% of patients with disseminated cancer. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology remains the standard for diagnosis and assessment of treatment response, but may be inadequate. Our objective was to compare ventricular and lumbar CSF cytology in patients who had cytologically proven LM and were receiving intra-CSF chemotherapy. Sixty patients with LM, positive lumbar CSF cytology documented at diagnosis, limited extent of CNS disease, and no evidence of CSF flow obstruction were treated with a variety of intra-CSF chemotherapies. All patients underwent a single simultaneous ventricular and lumbar CSF sampling (mean volume of CSF per site examined, 10 ml) to assess response to therapy at either 1 or 2 months after treatment initiation. Ventricular CSF cytology was positive in 44 patients (73%), 35 of whom were also positive by lumbar CSF cytology. Lumbar CSF cytology was positive in 45 patients (75%), of which 35 were also positive by ventricular CSF cytology. Samples were negative at both ventricular and lumbar sites in 6 patients (10%). Paired CSF cytologies were discordant in 19 (32%) patients. The lumbar cytology was negative in 9, whereas the ventricular cytology was positive (lumbar false-negative rate of 17%); the ventricular cytology was negative in 10, whereas the lumbar cytology was positive (ventricular false-negative rate of 20%). In the presence of spinal signs or symptoms of LM, the lumbar CSF cytology was more likely to be positive than was the ventricular (odds ratio = 2.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-9.56). Conversely, in the presence of cranial signs or symptoms, the ventricular CSF cytology was more likely to be positive than was the lumbar (odds ratio = 2.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-9.71). In this cohort of patients, whose LM was documented initially by positive lumbar CSF cytology, ventricular and lumbar CSF samples obtained during treatment had similar false-negative rates, depending on the site of clinical or radiologic disease. This suggests that both lumbar and ventricular sites must be sampled when assessing treatment response. If clinical or radiographic disease is present only at 1 site, then CSF from that site is more likely to be positive than is CSF obtained from the more distant site. (+info)