Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The diagnosis is based on symptoms and a high opening pressure found during a lumbar puncture with no specific cause found on a brain scan. [1] [2] Treatment includes a healthy diet, salt restriction, and exercise. [2] The medication acetazolamide may also be used along with the above measures. [2]
Intracranial pressure (ICP) is the pressure exerted by fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the skull and on the brain tissue. ICP is measured in millimeters of mercury and at rest, is normally 7–15 mmHg for a supine adult. This equals to 9–20 cmH 2 O, which is a common scale used in lumbar punctures. [1]
Lumbar puncture in a child suspected of having meningitis Increased CSF pressure can indicate congestive heart failure , cerebral edema , subarachnoid hemorrhage , hypo-osmolality resulting from hemodialysis , meningeal inflammation, purulent meningitis or tuberculous meningitis, hydrocephalus , or pseudotumor cerebri . [ 27 ]
The initial test is usually a lumbar puncture to collect cerebrospinal fluid for analysis. The lumbar puncture in chronic meningitis usually shows a lymphocytic predominant inflammatory pattern, however, some infectious agents such as early tuberculosis meningitis, nocardia or brucella may have an neutrophilic predominant inflammation. [2]
A lumbar puncture is done by positioning the person, usually lying on the side, applying local anesthetic, and inserting a needle into the dural sac (a sac around the spinal cord) to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). When this has been achieved, the "opening pressure" of the CSF is measured using a manometer.
During the lumbar puncture procedure, the opening pressure is measured. A pressure of over 180 mm H 2 O is suggestive of bacterial meningitis. It is likely that Mollaret meningitis is underrecognized by physicians, and improved recognition may limit unwarranted antibiotic use and shorten or eliminate unnecessary hospital admission. [12]
Diagnosis is most commonly made by lumbar puncture to detect malignant cells in the CSF, although the tests may be negative in roughly 10% of patients. [5] Diagnosis often requires a high index of suspicion and is confirmed by neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. [21] CSF examination is the most useful diagnostic tool for NM.
Quincke's puncture" is a somewhat outdated eponym for lumbar puncture, [4] [5] used for the examination of the cerebrospinal fluid in numerous diseases such as meningitis and multiple sclerosis. In 1893 he described what is now known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which he labeled "serous meningitis". [6]