Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Punctures”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

Bronchopulmonary infection due to Branhamella catarrhalis: 11 cases assessed by transtracheal puncture.

Transtracheal punctures were performed in 193 miners of anthracosilicotic coal who presented with an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. The transtracheal aspirates were bacteriologically positive in 104 patients. Branhamella catarrhalis was isolated in 15 patients; 10 of these responded to chemotherapy, as shown by the resolution of all symptoms and the disappearance of the organism on a repeat transtracheal puncture performed 48 hours after the end of treatment. One ampicillin-treated patient, whose bronchial secretions yielded a beta-lactamase-producing B catarrhalis, showed no improvement. But subsequent treatment with cefuroxime was followed by clinical and bacteriological recovery. B catarrhalis probably acted as an opportunistic respiratory pathogen in these patients, who were probably compromised hosts in view of their clinical history. B catarrhalis normally responds to the penicillins commonly used for respiratory infections, but if treatment fails a transtracheal puncture is essential to identify the strain and determine an appropriate antibiotic.

Ampicillin↗

Anterior staircase manoeuvre for atrial transseptal puncture.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of an anterior staircase modification to the standard atrial transseptal technique. DESIGN: Retrospective report on patients undergoing atrial transseptal puncture. SETTING: A regional cardiac centre. PATIENTS: A series of 658 patients catheterised between 1975 and 1991. RESULTS: Needle entry to the left atrium was obtained in 647 (98.3%) patients with needle and catheter entry to the left atrial cavity in 637 patients (96.8%). Sustained atrial arrhythmia occurred in six patients (0.9%) and pronounced bradycardia in one. Cardiac perforation occurred in three patients (0.5%) but did not cause cardiac tamponade. There were no deaths or embolic complications caused by the transseptal puncture. The anterior staircase manoeuvre was particularly useful in patients with problem septa--that is, when the septum bulged into the right atrial cavity, lacked a detectable limbic edge, was tough or tender, or when the right atrium was considerably enlarged. CONCLUSION: The anterior staircase technique is a useful modification to the atrial transseptal puncture technique because it allows repeated passage down the atrial septum without the need for guidewire and needle exchanges for repositioning in the superior vena cava.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

Contraindications to lumbar puncture as defined by computed cranial tomography.

Papilloedema is not always an adequate predictor of potential complications from lumbar puncture, and many clinicians are using computed tomography (CT) before lumbar puncture in an effort to identify more accurately the "at risk" patient. This paper identifies the following anatomical criteria defined by CT scanning that correlate with unequal pressures between intracranial compartments and predispose a patient to herniation following decompression of the spinal compartment: lateral shift of midline structures, loss of the suprachiasmatic and basilar cisterns, obliteration of the fourth ventricle, or obliteration of the superior cerebellar and quadrigeminal plate cisterns with sparing of the ambient cisterns. These criteria should be considered to be contraindications to lumbar puncture.

Adult↗

Xanthochromia revisited: a re-evaluation of lumbar puncture and CT scanning in the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The CT and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings of 100 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms were reviewed. Forty six percent of the 68 patients who had a lumbar puncture had blood stained CSF but with no xanthochromia. There was no blood visible on the CT scan in 20 patients: seven of these 20 had blood in their CSF, but no xanthochromia. It is concluded that it is blood stained CSF that is important in the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), and not xanthochromia, and that a normal CT scan (EMI 1010) and the absence of xanthochromia in the CSF do not exclude a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. To diagnose SAH, it may be necessary to perform both investigations; the CT scan as the primary investigation in those patients in whom lumbar puncture is judged to be hazardous; the lumbar puncture as the secondary investigation in those patients with a normal CT scan.

Brain↗

Substance P concentration and history of headache in relation to postlumbar puncture headache: towards prevention.

Medical treatment of postlumbar puncture headache (post-LP HA) is often difficult and ineffective. Prevention would be preferable to more invasive procedures, including blood patch. The aim was to determine the incidence of post-LP HA in two suspected high risk groups compared with the general outpatient population. Based on previous research, it was hypothesised that a low substance P concentration, or a history of chronic headache, or both would be associated with a higher risk of post-LP HA. A total of 310 randomly selected patients undergoing diagnostic lumbar puncture in the outpatient neurology clinic over 30 consecutive months were studied. Follow up was by headache questionnaire or phone survey after diagnostic lumbar puncture. Substance P was measured by radioimmunoassay on a subset of 102 samples of CSF. The overall incidence of post-LP HA was 38%. Patients with a measured substance P value < 1.3 pg/ml were three times as likely to have post-LP HA than those with a higher value. A history of chronic or recurrent headache was reported by 57% of those who developed post-LP HA. This group was also three times as likely to experience post-LP HA as those who did not have chronic headaches.

Adult↗

Lumbar puncture and subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Medical notes of 123 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage were examined. No patient deteriorated at the time of lumbar puncture. All but 2 patients with associated intracerebral haematomas had markedly impaired consciousness or focal signs. Two of 30 patients with meningitis were initially diagnosed as subarachnoid haemorrhage, and one died without lumbar puncture. If consciousness is not markedly impaired and focal signs are absent, lumbar puncture is safe in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Adult↗

The value of serum TPHA titres in selecting patients for lumbar puncture.

Between January 1981 and December 1989, 258 patients with positive syphilis serology underwent lumbar puncture. Nine patients had long-standing neurosyphilis and had lumbar punctures performed during the course of their follow-up. Of the remaining 249 only 12 demonstrated the presence of TPHA in the CSF. The serum TPHA titre for eight of these 12 patients, and seven of the nine (two having no titre reported) known neurosyphilis patients at the time of original diagnosis, was 1 in 5120 or more. The four remaining newly found CSF positive patients had serum TPHA titres of 1 in 2560. We suggest that a serum TPHA titre of 1 in 2560 or greater should be considered as a criterion when selecting patients for lumbar puncture, especially when there are no clinical signs or symptoms.

Adult↗

Lumbar myelography in 79 dogs, using different puncture sites.

Lumbar myelography was performed in 79 dogs either before spinal surgery or as part of an investigation of neurological disease. In small dogs the site of the puncture was between L1 and L5, avoiding the lumbosacral intumescence, whereas in large dogs the site was between T13 and L2. It was found that a lumbar puncture cranial to the lumbar intumescence was easier and caused no problems. The lumbar puncture was unsuccessful in three obese dogs. In 72 per cent of the cases the myelogram revealed a lesion, and the main cause of a non-diagnostic myelogram was epidural leakage.

Animals↗

Lateral C1-2 puncture for cervical myelography. Part II: Recognition of improper injection of contrast material.

The interpretation of cervical metrizamide myelography requires specific anatomic considerations, particularly when the lateral C1-2 puncture technique is employed. Fresh unfixed cervical spine specimens were injected with a mixture of metrizamide and methylene blue. Radiologic examinations of these specimens were compared with a retrospective analysis of 100 consecutive unselected cervical myelograms obtained by lateral C1-2 puncture during the years 1979-1980. Epidural, subdural, subpial, dentate ligament, and spinal cord injections may be encountered when the lateral C1-2 puncture for myelography is employed; possible artifacts from such injection are discussed.

Humans↗

Lateral C1-2 puncture for cervical myelography. Part III: Historical, anatomic, and technical considerations.

Three significantly different lateral approaches to the cervical subarachnoid space (anterior, midplane, and posterior needle positions) have been previously described for cordotomy and myelography. Experimental lateral C1-2 punctures were performed by each of these three methods in anatomic specimens, cadaver models with reconstituted cerebrospinal fluid pressures, a patient with cerebral death, and to a limited degree in patients undergoing routine cervical myelography. In the cervical region the dura is pushed ahead of the needle, forming a "tent" over the needle tip during C1-2 puncture; the needle projects several millimeters into the spinal canal before penetrating the dura, regardless of the method of entry or needle diameter. The extent of this tenting phenomenon and its relationship to the spinal cord are significantly affected by the needle diameter and position. A posterior technique for lateral C1-2 puncture is described.

Adolescent↗

Brachial artery catheterization via cutdown and a direct needle puncture.

Brachial artery catheterization via cutdown and a direct needle puncture was evaluated in 369 patients undergoing arteriography at the authors' medical center from January, 1970, to March, 1988. The indications for retrograde brachial arteriography were absence of palpable femoral pulses, failure of a femoral approach, previous aortic bypass surgery, and/or aneurysms of the abdominal aorta. The technique and results are described. Two patients lost their radial pulse; 1 of them had thrombectomy and, one year later, developed an aneurysm at the site of the needle puncture. The authors conclude that catheterization of the brachial artery through direct needle puncture is a safe procedure with good results.

Brachial Artery↗

Adverse reactions to myelography with metrizamide in infants, children and adolescents. II. Local injury caused by lumbar puncture and injection of contrast medium.

A series of 605 myelographies with metrizamide was reviewed to assess the risk of local injury caused by the puncture and injection of metrizamide. A lesion below the normal level of the medullary conus was found in 139 patients, and in 10 of these the needle went into or through the lesion. One patient developed paraplegia due to the puncture and injection, no other patient had any symptoms. It is concluded that in spite of the risk, lumbar puncture should be the routine procedure for myelography with metrizamide in children.

Adolescent↗

Prognostic significance of blasts in the cerebrospinal fluid without pleiocytosis or a traumatic lumbar puncture in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: experience of the Dutch Childhood Oncology Group.

PURPOSE: To determine the significance of blasts in the CSF without pleiocytosis and a traumatic lumbar puncture in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied a cohort of 526 patients treated in accordance with the virtually identical Dutch protocols ALL-7 and ALL-8. Patients were classified into five groups: CNS1, no blasts in the CSF cytospin; CNS2, blasts present in the cytospin, but leukocytes less than 5/microL; CNS3, blasts present and leukocytes more than 5/microL. Patients with a traumatic lumbar puncture (TLP; > 10 erythrocytes/mL) were classified as TLP+ (blasts present in the cytospin) or TLP- (no blasts). RESULTS: Median duration of follow-up was 13.2 years (range, 6.9 to 15.5 years). Event-free survival (EFS) was 72.6% (SE, 2.5%) for CNS1 patients (n = 304), 70.3% (SE, 4.7%) for CNS2 patients (n = 111), and 66.7% (SE, 19%) for CNS3 patients (n = 10; no significant difference in EFS between the groups). EFS was 58% (SE, 7.6%) for TLP+ patients (n = 62) and 82% (SE, 5.2%) for TLP- patients (n = 39; P < .01). Cox regression analysis identified TLP+ status as an independent prognostic factor (risk ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 8.8; P = .007). Cumulative incidence of CNS relapses was 0.05 and 0.07 in CNS1 and CNS2 patients, respectively (not statistically significant). CONCLUSION: In our experience, the presence of a low number of blasts in the CSF without pleiocytosis has no prognostic significance. In contrast, a traumatic lumbar puncture with blasts in the CSF specimen is associated with an inferior outcome.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Spinal subarachnoid hematomas: clue to a source of bleeding in traumatic lumbar puncture.

Although damage to the veins of Batson's epidural plexus is usually considered the origin of bleeding in traumatic lumbar puncture, a lesion of these veins would not explain the cases in which postmortem examination shows blood confined to the subdural and subarachnoid spaces. In two patients who had lumbar punctures a few days before death, there was subarachnoid hematoma of the cauda equina at autopsy. In one of these cases, the radicular vessels were shown to be the source of bleeding. Spinal subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhages after lumbar puncture may be due to laceration of radicular vessels by the spinal needle.

Adult↗

Incidence and prediction of postdural puncture headache. A prospective study of 1021 spinal anesthesias.

The incidence of postdural puncture headache (PDPH) was investigated prospectively in 873 consecutive patients undergoing a total of 1021 spinal anesthesias, and its association to age, sex, needle size, number of attempted dural punctures, needle bevel direction, duration of postoperative recumbency, and previous PDPH was analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed that age (P less than 0.0001), direction of the bevel of the needle when puncturing the dura mater (P = 0.022), and a history of previous PDPH (P = 0.018) were significant predictors of PDPH. The estimated relation between PDPH, on the one hand, and age and orientation of the bevel, on the other, enables the anesthetist to predict the risk of PDPH and thereby to choose an acceptable age limit for spinal anesthesia.

Adolescent↗

Lumbar puncture associated with pneumocephalus: report of a case.

UNLABELLED: Pneumocephalus is a well known complication of spinal and epidural anesthesia, but it is extremely rare after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture. This uncommonness can obscure the clinical diagnosis and lead to unnecessary procedures and prolonged patient discomfort. We report a 72-yr-old woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus who underwent an unremarkable lumbar puncture that was complicated by a postprocedure pneumocephalus that manifested as a continuous headache. The pneumocephalus resolved spontaneously after 4 days. Possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed. IMPLICATIONS: We report a case of symptomatic pneumocephalus in a woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus after an unremarkable lumbar puncture. The possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed.

Aged↗

Single or multiple small subarachnoid hemorrhages by puncturing a small branch of the rat basilar artery causes chronic cerebral vasospasm.

OBJECTIVE: This study looked at the effects of single and multiple small subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by puncturing a small branch of the basilar artery in rats. METHODS: Rats were subjected to single SAH (n = 21), multiple SAH (n = 21), sham operation (n = 21), or no procedures (control group, n = 7). SAH was induced in rats by transclival puncture of a small branch of the basilar artery. In the multiple-SAH hemorrhage groups, three small hemorrhages were produced in the same artery at three different times (initial and 24 and 48 h). In the single-SAH groups, one small hemorrhage was produced. Measurements of local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) were made at the initial SAH procedure and at three different time points. Seven animals from each general grouping were killed on Days 4, 10, and 14 (after LCBF was measured). Three different levels of the basilar artery were examined in each animal. Luminal area and arterial wall thickness were measured, and the findings were compared with control and corresponding sham group findings. RESULTS: LCBF dropped dramatically (by 40%) immediately after SAH and reached levels near baseline within 15 minutes (n = 42) (P < 0.001). LCBF continued to drop after initial SAH and reached the lowest level on Day 10 (P < 0.001) or Day 14 (P < 0.05). Significant luminal narrowing (P < 0.01) and thickening of the arterial wall (P < 0.01) were observed in both groups. CONCLUSION: Single or multiple small SAHs produced by puncturing the basilar artery in the rat cause similar acute and chronic cerebral vasospasm.

Animals↗

Paradoxical cerebral herniation secondary to lumbar puncture after decompressive craniectomy for a large space-occupying hemispheric stroke: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: The risk of transtentorial herniation after removal of cerebrospinal fluid from the lumbar cistern in the setting of a supratentorial lesion with significant mass effect, increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, or midline shift is well known. We report a case of cerebral herniation from intracranial hypotension (so-called paradoxical herniation) secondary to a lumbar puncture 1 month after decompressive hemicraniectomy for a large right hemispheric stroke. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 50-year-old woman was transferred to our neurosurgical service for obtundation 4 days after a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis and 1 month after decompressive craniectomy for a large right hemispheric stroke. INTERVENTION: Eighty grams of mannitol was administered before transfer. On arrival at our hospital, the patient was intubated and a computed tomographic scan was performed. The patient was diagnosed with low-pressure herniation after review of the computed tomographic scan. Rehydration was initiated, and the patient was placed in the Trendelenburg position. She became easier to arouse, but her pupils remained dilated. She experienced a sudden severe cardiac arrhythmia leading to a cardiac arrest. Attempted resuscitation was unsuccessful, and the patient was pronounced dead. CONCLUSION: Lumbar punctures may result in lethal intracranial hypotension in patients after hemicraniectomy and are thus contraindicated unless care is taken to remove the pressure gradient of atmospheric air across the lumbar cistern.

Cerebral Angiography↗