Lumbar Puncture is a procedure of inserting a needle into the lumbar subarachnoid space to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It is utilised to diagnose CNS infections or subarachnoid haemorrhage, measure CSF pressure, or administer intrathecal chemotherapy. It has the potential to be confronting for the patient and challenging for the clinician. We provide the expert advice and procedural pearls so you can approach it with confidence.

Thrive podcasts are a free open-access medical resource developed by medical staff at Eastern Health to educate junior doctors. We make every effort to ensure our content is up to date and based on the latest evidence, however, this may not always be possible. Consequently, our content should not be used to substitute local guidelines or hospital protocols and guidance from senior clinicians should be sought in unfamiliar clinical situations.