Establishment of a novel risk prediction model for recompression of augmented vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction and modified puncture technique for prevention: a multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Recompression of augmented vertebrae (RCAV) is often seen after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP), especially at the thoracolumbar junction. The authors aimed to develop and validate a risk prediction model (nomogram) for RCAV and to evaluate the efficacy of a modified puncture technique for RCAV prevention after PKP for thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs). METHODS: Patients who underwent PKP for single thoracolumbar OVFs (T10-L2) between January 2016 and October 2020 were reviewed and followed up for at least 2 years. All patients were randomly divided into a training group (70%) and a validation group (30%). Relevant potential data affecting recompression were collected. Predictors were screened by using binary logistic regression analysis to construct the nomogram. Calibration and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the consistency of the prediction models. Finally, the efficacy of the modified puncture technique for prevention of RCAV in OVF patients with a preoperative intravertebral cleft (IVC) was further demonstrated through binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 394 patients were included and 116 of them (29.4%) sustained RCAV. The independent risk factors included decreased bone mineral density, lower level of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3, larger C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis (SVA), preoperative IVC, and solid-lump cement distribution. The area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction model was 0.824 in the training group and 0.875 in the validation group patients. The calibration curve indicated the predictive power of this nomogram, with the preoperative IVC having the highest prediction accuracy (AUC 0.705). The modified puncture technique significantly reduced the incidence of RCAV by enhancing bone cement distribution into a sufficiently diffused distribution in OVF patients with preoperative IVC. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram prediction model had satisfactory accuracy and clinical utility for identification of patients at low and high risk of postoperative RCAV. Patients at high risk of postoperative RCAV might benefit from the target puncture technique and vitamin D supplementation as well as effective antiosteoporotic therapies.

Computed tomography-guided transforaminal lumbar puncture using local anesthesia and a straight 22-gauge spinal needle for intrathecal nusinersen in adults: Findings in 77 procedures.

BACKGROUND: Intrathecal nusinersen is the first Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Reliable intrathecal access is critical for initial and maintenance therapy; however, this can be challenging in older patients with spinal muscular atrophy many of whom have had prior lumbar instrumentation and osseous fusion. Transforaminal lumbar punctures have emerged as a technique for intrathecal access that avoids the hazards of cervical punctures. We describe our technique for transforaminal lumbar punctures under computed tomography guidance using local anesthesia and a straight 22-gauge needle. METHODS: Following local institutional review board approval, medical records of all patients undergoing computed tomography-guided transforaminal lumbar puncture for intrathecal nusinersen injection were obtained and analyzed. The rate of technical success and immediate complications were recorded. Any delayed complications noted in a 3-day follow-up phone call and future office visit were also recorded. Data collation and analysis were performed using Excel. RESULTS: A total of 77 transforaminal lumbar punctures were performed with intrathecal administration of nusinersen, for a 100% technical success rate. Local anesthesia was used in 76 cases, with conscious sedation used in one case. General anesthesia was not used in any case. There were no major complications. One patient had a postdural puncture headache that resolved completely after a transforaminal epidural blood patch performed 4 days later. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal administration of nusinersen is critical for treatment of patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Our described technique allows for reliable access to the intrathecal space using local anesthesia and a straight 22-gauge spinal needle under computed tomography guidance, and is easily reproducible.

Preventing Post Dural Puncture Headache after Intrathecal Drug Delivery System Implantation Through Preventive Fibrin Glue Application: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage resulting in post dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a frequent adverse effect observed after intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) implantation. CSF leakage symptoms negatively affect patient quality of life and can result in additional complications. Fibrin glue was used to treat CSF leakage syndrome. We developed a procedure to reduce the incidence of PDPH by preventing CSF leakage with the use of fibrin glue during surgery. OBJECTIVES: The main outcome criterion for this study was the incidence of PDPH syndrome after IDDS implantation with or without preventive fibrin glue application during the procedure. STUDY DESIGN: We designed a monocentric retrospective cohort study to compare the incidence of PDPH due to CSF leakage syndrome after lumbar puncture in patients with an implanted intrathecal pump, with or without preventive fibrin glue application during the procedure. SETTING: The study was held in the Anesthesiology and Pain department of the  Integrative Cancer Institute (ICO), Angers - France. METHODS: The study compared 2 patient cohorts over 2 successive periods. Fibrin glue was injected into the introducer needle puncture pathway after placement of the catheter immediately following needle removal. RESULTS: The no-glue group included 107 patients, whereas the glue group included 92 patients.Two application failures were observed (2.04%). Fibrin glue application results in a significant decrease in PDPH incidence, from 32.7% in the no-glue group to 10.92 % (P < 0.001) in the glue group. In regard to severity, in the no-glue group, 37.1% of PDPH syndromes were mild, 34.3% were moderate, and 28.6% were severe. In the fibrin glue group, 80% of PDPH syndromes were mild, and 20% were moderate. No severe PDPHs were reported after fibrin glue application. Duration of symptoms was also statistically shorter in the fibrin glue group (maximum of 3 days vs. 15 days in the no-glue group). In a univariate analysis, preventive fibrin glue application and age are significant to prevent PDPH. In multivariate analysis, only fibrin glue application was statistically significant (odds ratio, 0.26; P = 0.0008). No adverse effects linked to fibrin glue were observed. LIMITATIONS: The main limitation of this study is its retrospective nature. In addition, this study is from a single center with a potential selection bias and a center effect. CONCLUSIONS: The novel use of fibrin glue is promising in terms of its effect on PDPH and its safety profile. Its moderate cost and reproducibility make it an affordable and efficient technique.

Topical anaesthesia for needle-related pain in newborn infants.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalised newborn neonates frequently undergo painful invasive procedures that involve penetration of the skin and other tissues by a needle. One intervention that can be used prior to a needle insertion procedure is application of a topical local anaesthetic. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical anaesthetics such as amethocaine and EMLA in newborn term or preterm infants requiring an invasive procedure involving puncture of skin and other tissues with a needle. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase and CINAHL up to 15 May 2016; previous reviews including cross-references, abstracts, and conference proceedings. We contacted expert informants. We contacted authors directly to obtain additional data. We imposed no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised, quasi-randomised controlled trials, and cluster and cross-over randomised trials that compared the topical anaesthetics amethocaine and eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (EMLA) in terms of anaesthetic efficacy and safety in newborn term or preterm infants requiring an invasive procedure involving puncture of skin and other tissues with a needle DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: From the reports of the clinical trials we extracted data regarding clinical outcomes including pain, number of infants with methaemoglobin level 5% and above, number of needle prick attempts prior to successful needle-related procedure, crying, time taken to complete the procedure, episodes of apnoea, episodes of bradycardia, episodes of oxygen desaturation, neurodevelopmental disability and other adverse events. MAIN RESULTS: Eight small randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria (n = 506). These studies compared either EMLA and placebo or amethocaine and placebo. No studies compared EMLA and amethocaine. We were unable to meta-analyse the outcome of pain due to differing outcome measures and methods of reporting. For EMLA, two individual studies reported a statistically significant reduction in pain compared to placebo during lumbar puncture and venepuncture. Three studies found no statistical difference between the groups during heel lancing. For amethocaine, three studies reported a statistically significant reduction in pain compared to placebo during venepuncture and one study reported a statistically significant reduction in pain compared to placebo during cannulation. One study reported no statistical difference between the two groups during intramuscular injection.One study reported no statistical difference between EMLA and the placebo group for successful venepuncture at first attempt. One study similarly reported no statistically significant difference between Amethocaine and the placebo group for successful cannulation at first attempt.Risk for local redness, swelling or blanching was significantly higher with EMLA (typical risk ratio (RR) 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24 to 2.19; typical risk difference (RD) 0.17, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.26; n = 272; number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH) 6, 95% CI 4 to 11; I2 = 92% indicating considerable heterogeneity) although not for amethocaine (typical RR 2.11, 95% CI 0.72 to 6.16; typical RD 0.05, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.11, n = 221). These local skin reactions for EMLA and amethocaine were reported as short-lasting. Two studies reported no methaemoglobinaemia with single application of EMLA. The quality of the evidence on outcomes assessed according to GRADE was low to moderate. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Overall, all the trials were small, and the effects of uncertain clinical significance. The evidence regarding the effectiveness or safety of the interventions studied is inadequate to support clinical recommendations. There has been no evaluation regarding any long-term effects of topical anaesthetics in newborn infants.High quality studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of topical anaesthetics such as amethocaine and EMLA for needle-related pain in newborn term or preterm infants are required. These studies should aim to determine efficacy of these topical anaesthetics and on homogenous groups of infants for gestational age. While there was no methaemoglobinaemia in the studies that reported methaemoglobin, the efficacy and safety of EMLA, especially in very preterm infants, and for repeated application, need to be further evaluated in future studies.

Drug therapy for treating post-dural puncture headache.

BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 8, 2011, on 'Drug therapy for treating post-dural puncture headache'.Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common complication of lumbar puncture, an invasive procedure frequently performed in the emergency room. Numerous pharmaceutical drugs have been proposed to treat PDPH but there are still some uncertainties about their clinical effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of drugs for treating PDPH in adults and children. SEARCH METHODS: The searches included the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2014, Issue 6), MEDLINE and MEDLINE in Process (from 1950 to 29 July 2014), EMBASE (from 1980 to 29 July 2014) and CINAHL (from 1982 to July 2014). There were no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness of any pharmacological drug used for treating PDPH. Outcome measures considered for this review were: PDPH persistence of any severity at follow-up (primary outcome), daily activity limited by headache, conservative supplementary therapeutic option offered, epidural blood patch performed, change in pain severity scores, improvements in pain severity scores, number of days participants stay in hospital, any possible adverse events and missing data. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Review authors independently selected studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We estimated risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes. We calculated a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each RR and MD. We did not undertake meta-analysis because the included studies assessed different sorts of drugs or different outcomes. We performed an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. MAIN RESULTS: We included 13 small RCTs (479 participants) in this review (at least 274 participants were women, with 118 parturients after a lumbar puncture for regional anaesthesia). In the original version of this Cochrane review, only seven small RCTs (200 participants) were included. Pharmacological drugs assessed were oral and intravenous caffeine, subcutaneous sumatriptan, oral gabapentin, oral pregabalin, oral theophylline, intravenous hydrocortisone, intravenous cosyntropin and intramuscular adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).Two RCTs reported data for PDPH persistence of any severity at follow-up (primary outcome). Caffeine reduced the number of participants with PDPH at one to two hours when compared to placebo. Treatment with caffeine also decreased the need for a conservative supplementary therapeutic option.Treatment with gabapentin resulted in better visual analogue scale (VAS) scores after one, two, three and four days when compared with placebo and also when compared with ergotamine plus caffeine at two, three and four days. Treatment with hydrocortisone plus conventional treatment showed better VAS scores at six, 24 and 48 hours when compared with conventional treatment alone and also when compared with placebo. Treatment with theophylline showed better VAS scores compared with acetaminophen at two, six and 12 hours and also compared with conservative treatment at eight, 16 and 24 hours. Theophylline also showed a lower mean "sum of pain" when compared with placebo. Sumatriptan and ACTH did not show any relevant effect for this outcome.Theophylline resulted in a higher proportion of participants reporting an improvement in pain scores when compared with conservative treatment.There were no clinically significant drug adverse events.The rest of the outcomes were not reported by the included RCTs or did not show any relevant effect. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: None of the new included studies have provided additional information to change the conclusions of the last published version of the original Cochrane review. Caffeine has shown effectiveness for treating PDPH, decreasing the proportion of participants with PDPH persistence and those requiring supplementary interventions, when compared with placebo. Gabapentin, hydrocortisone and theophylline have been shown to decrease pain severity scores. Theophylline has also been shown to increase the proportion of participants that report an improvement in pain scores when compared with conventional treatment.There is a lack of conclusive evidence for the other drugs assessed (sumatriptan, adrenocorticotropic hormone, pregabalin and cosyntropin).These conclusions should be interpreted with caution, due to the lack of information to allow correct appraisal of risk of bias, the small sample sizes of the studies and also their limited generalisability, as nearly half of the participants were postpartum women in their 30s.

Pediatric lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar puncture (LP) is a commonly performed procedure in pediatrics. Accurate analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profile is essential in diagnosing and managing a variety of infectious and inflammatory conditions involving the brain, meninges, and spinal cord. It can also provide useful diagnostic information in the evaluation of possible subarachnoid hemorrhage and demyelinating syndromes, and aid in the diagnosis and management of pseudotumor cerebri. OBJECTIVES: To review anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic aspects of performing pediatric lumbar puncture and CSF analysis. DISCUSSION: Although still a commonly performed procedure in the outpatient setting, effective vaccines to prevent invasive infection due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b have greatly reduced pediatric bacterial meningitis rates due to these pathogens, resulting in decreased opportunity for physician-trainees to perfect this important skill (among nonneonates) during the 3 years of supervised residency training. Success in performing pediatric LP is augmented by a thorough understanding of medical aspects related to this procedure. This article discusses technical aspects involved in successfully performing a lumbar puncture to obtain CSF, and interpreting a CSF profile in children. CONCLUSION: A thorough understanding of anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic considerations regarding performing lumbar puncture and CSF analysis can augment success in diagnosing a variety of potentially serious pediatric conditions.

Needle-free jet injection of lidocaine for local anesthesia during lumbar puncture: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar puncture (LP) is an essential procedure in the emergency department (ED) for the evaluation of meningitis. Subcutaneous injection of lidocaine before LP for local anesthesia is not a pain-free procedure. The J-Tip device allows an intradermal needle-free jet injection of 1% buffered lidocaine. This study compares needle-free jet injection of lidocaine to saline in reducing pain before LP in infants. METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving infants, younger than 3 months, presenting to the ED meeting clinical criteria for LP. All patients were administered the J-Tip and randomized to either treatment with 1% buffered lidocaine or an equivalent amount of sterile normal saline before LP. Vital signs were recorded during the procedure. Facial expressions as well as crying times were video recorded from start to finish. Independent reviewers assigned pain scores based on the validated Neonatal Facial Coding System with possible scores ranging from 0 to 5. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients were enrolled. Mean (SD) pain scores at the time of needle insertion were 4.1 (1.3) for the lidocaine group and 4.8 (0.5) for the saline group (P = 0.01). Length of cry was also shorter for those in the lidocaine group, 38.5 versus 48.8 seconds (P = 0.04). Overall, κ was 0.76 between 2 independent reviewers. CONCLUSIONS: Needle-free injection of 1% buffered lidocaine administered before needle insertion for LP in infants reduces pain and length of cry, compared with normal saline.

Drug therapy for treating post-dural puncture headache.

BACKGROUND: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common complication of lumbar puncture, an invasive procedure frequently performed in the emergency room. Numerous pharmaceutical drugs have been proposed to treat PDPH but there are still some uncertainties about their clinical effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of drugs for treating PDPH in adults and children. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy included the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library (2011, Issue 2), MEDLINE (from 1950 to June 2011), EMBASE (from 1980 to June 2011) and CINAHL (from 1982 to June 2011). There was no language restriction. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness of any pharmacological drug used for treating PDPH. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Review authors independently selected studies, assessed risks of bias and extracted data. We estimated risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes. We calculated a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each RR and MD. We did not undertake meta-analysis because the included studies assessed different sorts of drugs or different outcomes. We performed an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. MAIN RESULTS: We included seven RCTs (200 participants) in this review (between 88% and 90.5% were women; mostly parturients (84% to 87%) after a lumbar puncture for a regional anaesthesia). Pharmacological drugs assessed were oral and intravenous caffeine, subcutaneous sumatriptan, oral gabapentin, oral theophylline, intravenous hydrocortisone and intramuscular adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).One RCT reported data about PDPH persistence of any severity at follow up (primary outcome); caffeine reduced the number of participants with PDPH at one to two hours when compared to placebo. Treatment with caffeine also decreased the need for a conservative supplementary therapeutic option. Treatment with gabapentin versus placebo reported better visual analogue scale (VAS) scores after one, two, three and four days; treatment with hydrocortisone plus conventional treatment showed better VAS scores than conventional treatment alone at six, 24 and 48 hours and treatment with theophylline showed a lower mean "sum of pain" when compared with placebo. Sumatriptan and ACTH did not show any relevant effect for this outcome.There were no clinically significant drug adverse events.The rest of the outcomes were not reported by the RCTs or did not show any relevant effect. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Caffeine has shown effectiveness for treating PDPH, decreasing the proportion of participants with PDPH persistence and those requiring supplementary interventions, when compared with placebo. Gabapentin, theophylline and hydrocortisone have also shown a decrease in pain severity scores when compared with placebo or conventional care.There is a lack of conclusive evidence for the other drugs assessed (sumatriptan and ACTH).These conclusions should be interpreted with caution, due to the lack of information to allow correct appraisal of risk of bias, the small sample sizes of studies and also the limited generalisability, as most participants were post-partum women in their 30s.

Pharmacological inhibition of tumor necrosis factor may reduce pain behavior changes induced by experimental disc puncture in the rat: an experimental study in rats.

STUDY DESIGN: Pain behavior assessment in rats following disc puncture (DP) and simultaneous tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibition. OBJECTIVE: To assess if treatment with TNF inhibition could reduce the pain behavior changes induced by DP in the rat. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anular tears with leakage of nucleus pulposus have been suggested to be one possible cause of low back pain (LBP). In an experimental model, it was recently shown that DP might induce specific pain behavior changes. The aim of the present study was to a study if inhibition of TNF might reduce such pain behavior changes. METHODS: Sixty rats underwent facetectomy and puncture of the fourth lumbar disc. The rats were simultaneously treated with doxycycline locally at 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg and systemically at 3.0 mg/kg, or infliximab locally at 0.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, and systemically at 5.0 mg/kg, (n ∇ 10 for each subseries). The rats were videotaped at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after surgery. The videos were analyzed regarding presence of wet-dog shakes (WDS). Data from a previous study with sham surgery and DP without treatment were included for comparison. RESULTS: All groups treated with doxycycline resulted in a statistically significant reduction of WDS compared to the group without treatment (DP). In infliximab treated animals, WDS decreased with statistically significance compared to the nontreated DP group at all analyzed days except for the group with high dose local treatment where a statistically significant reduction was obtained only at days 14 and 21. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that TNF inhibition induced a marked reduction of wet dog shakes. It is not fully understood if wet-dog shakes may relate to LBP, but in view of recent clinical findings one may consider clinical studies of TNF inhibition for the treatment of LBP.

Music therapy to reduce pain and anxiety in children with cancer undergoing lumbar puncture: a randomized clinical trial.

A nonpharmacological method can be an alternative or complement to analgesics.The aim of this study was to evaluate if music medicine influences pain and anxiety in children undergoing lumbar punctures. A randomized clinical trial was used in 40 children (aged 7-12 years) with leukemia, followed by interviews in 20 of these participants. The participants were randomly assigned to a music group (n = 20) or control group (n = 20). The primary outcome was pain scores and the secondary was heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation measured before, during, and after the procedure. Anxiety scores were measured before and after the procedure. Interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in conjunction with the completed procedures. The results showed lower pain scores and heart and respiratory rates in the music group during and after the lumbar puncture. The anxiety scores were lower in the music group both before and after the procedure. The findings from the interviews confirmed the quantity results through descriptions of a positive experience by the children, including less pain and fear.

Allogeneic epidural blood patch in the setting of persistent spinal headache and disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

In most cases of post-dural puncture headache, the positional symptoms will resolve spontaneously within 2 weeks. Conservative therapies include oral analgesics and hydration, bed rest, and abdominal binders. For refractory cases, an autologous epidural blood patch remains the treatment of choice. However, in certain cases the use of autologous blood for the blood patch may place the patient at risk for infectious or malignant contamination of the central nervous system. Coccidioidomycosis results from inhalation of the arthroconidia (spore) stage of the fungal lifecycle. The most common manifestation of coccidioidomycosis is acute pulmonary symptoms, while the most feared complication is meningitis. Immunocompromised patients are at increased risk of fungemia; therefore, introduction of fungal elements into the central nervous system can occur if autologous blood is used for an epidural blood patch. We report a case of persistent dural-puncture headache in the setting of disseminated coccidioidomycosis. An autologous blood epidural blood patch was considered but deferred due to risk of coccidioidomycosis meningitis. Other epidural space interventions such as fibrin glue injection or saline infusions were judged to be too imprecise or ineffective. The patient was successfully treated with allogeneic blood donated by his wife, but only after testing of her blood as is required for any directed blood donation. Allogeneic epidural blood patches are an option for refractory dural puncture headaches when autologous blood may cause meningitis or malignant seeding of the central nervous system.

Topical anesthesia in neonates: clinical practices and practical considerations.

During the past two decades there has been a substantial increase in the number and types of topical anesthetics available. Options for the prevention of neonatal pain associated with skin-breaking procedures were previously limited to injections of lidocaine hydrochloride. Topical anesthetics are now available as creams, gels, and a heat-activated patch system. Although lidocaine injection continues to be widely used for pain associated with circumcision, lumbar puncture, or placement of central venous lines, practical information regarding the use of newer agents in the neonate is needed. This review seeks to expand the options for topical anesthesia in neonates.

Pediatric and emergency medicine residents' attitudes and practices for analgesia and sedation during lumbar puncture in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: Analgesia and sedation for painful procedures in children are safe and effective, yet our experience is that pain management during lumbar puncture is suboptimal. We aim to document factors that influence residents' decisions to use analgesia and sedation during lumbar puncture and to compare pediatric and emergency medicine residents' practices. METHODS: A survey was developed and sent to pediatric and emergency medicine residents from across Canada that inquired about clinical practices, learning experiences, current use of analgesia and sedation for lumbar puncture, and their clinical reasoning for using or abstaining from using analgesia and sedation. The Student's t and chi2 tests were used to compare the 2 resident groups. RESULTS: Of the 374 residents to whom the survey was sent, 245 completed the survey. Pediatric residents reported performing lumbar punctures with no local anesthetic much more frequently. Pediatric residents used EMLA (AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE) more frequently and injectable lidocaine less frequently. Pediatric residents used sedation for lumbar puncture at least once, more frequently than emergency medicine residents, and used mostly benzodiazepines. Both groups used ketamine at a similar rate. Pediatric residents reported that they witnessed adverse events of sedation more frequently. Although pediatric residents were responsible for teaching trainees the lumbar-puncture procedure significantly more frequently, they reported less educational opportunities during residency themselves and that they were less likely to recommend the use of local anesthetic during lumbar puncture when teaching the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Several significant differences exist between the pediatric residents and emergency medicine residents we surveyed. Pediatric residents were using less injectable local anesthesia for lumbar puncture in children and more sedation for the procedure and have had notably less training in the use of sedation. Pediatric residents have more teaching responsibilities than their emergency medicine residents colleagues and are inconsistently recommending the use of local anesthetics for lumbar puncture.

Headache and backache after lumbar puncture in children and adolescents: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: After lumbar puncture, many adults develop headaches or backaches. Postpuncture complaints are believed to be rare in children and adolescents, but their exact incidence is unclear because there is a paucity of data derived from general pediatric patients. In a prospective study of general pediatric and neuropediatric patients, we investigated the frequency of postlumbar puncture headaches or backaches and factors that might influence their occurrence. METHODS: Conducted over 12 months, the prospective study included 112 patients aged 2 to 16 years. We evaluated them for factors that might influence the rate of postpuncture complaints: age, gender, use of local anesthesia, cannula gauge, bevel orientation, number of puncture attempts, volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) aspirated, and cell count in CSF. RESULTS: Twenty-seven percent of the patients experienced headaches (positional headache in 9%), and 40% developed backache. Frequency of complaints increased in relation to patients' age. In older children, girls reported complaints more frequently than did boys. Patients with higher cell counts in CSF had more frequent headaches than did patients without pleocytosis. Cannula gauge or bevel orientation did not influence outcome. CONCLUSION: The frequency of positional and nonpositional headaches after lumbar puncture is lower in children than in adults. Backaches contribute significantly to postpuncture morbidity. With puberty, the incidences of postpuncture complaints increase, and girls start to become more prone to develop postpuncture headaches. Recommendations regarding cannula gauge or bevel orientation that derive from studies in adults are not confirmed for children.

Clinical hypnosis in the alleviation of procedure-related pain in pediatric oncology patients.

This prospective controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a manual-based clinical hypnosis intervention in alleviating pain in 80 pediatric cancer patients (6-16 years of age) undergoing regular lumbar punctures. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: direct hypnosis with standard medical treatment, indirect hypnosis with standard medical treatment, attention control with standard medical treatment, and standard medical treatment alone. Patients in the hypnosis groups reported less pain and anxiety and were rated as demonstrating less behavioral distress than those in the control groups. Direct and indirect suggestions were equally effective, and the level of hypnotizability was significantly associated with treatment benefit in the hypnosis groups. Therapeutic benefit degraded when patients were switched to self-hypnosis. The study indicates that hypnosis is effective in preparing pediatric oncology patients for lumbar puncture, but the presence of the therapist may be critical.