Standard vs atraumatic Whitacre needle for diagnostic lumbar puncture: a randomized trial

R Lavi; D Yarnitsky; J M Rowe; A Weissman; D Segal; I Avivi

doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000240054.40274.8a

Standard vs atraumatic Whitacre needle for diagnostic lumbar puncture: a randomized trial

Neurology. 2006 Oct 24;67(8):1492-4. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000240054.40274.8a.

Authors

R Lavi¹, D Yarnitsky, J M Rowe, A Weissman, D Segal, I Avivi

Affiliation

¹ Anesthesiology Department, Rambam Medical Center, PO Box 9602, Haifa 31096, Israel. lavironit@hotmail.com

PMID: 17060584
DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000240054.40274.8a

Abstract

In order to define the impact of needle type on post-lumbar puncture headache (PLPH), we performed a prospective, randomized trial comparing the incidence of PLPH in patients undergoing lumbar punctures (LPs) with traumatic vs atraumatic 22-gauge needles. Fifty-eight patients underwent 85 LPs. The incidence of PLPH was 36% in the traumatic vs 3% in the atraumatic group (p = 0.002).

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Equipment Design
Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Middle Aged
Needles* / adverse effects
Pain Measurement
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / epidemiology
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / etiology
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / physiopathology
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / prevention & control*