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

Lavi, R; Yarnitsky, D; Rowe, J M; Weissman, A; Segal, D; Avivi, I · Neurology · 2006

rct · Level II

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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).

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