Challenges of Traumatic Lumbar Punctures

Traumatic lumbar punctures occur when blood contaminates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the procedure, leading to the introduction of peripheral red and white blood cells into the CSF. This contamination complicates the interpretation of CSF white blood cell counts, which are crucial for diagnosing conditions such as central nervous system infections or autoimmune disorders. Standard correction factors are often applied in clinical practice, where clinicians subtract a certain number of white blood cells for every volume of red cells present. However, the effectiveness and reliability of these correction factors in adults had previously lacked thorough study, prompting the research into their diagnostic performance.