Investigations

Lumbar puncture ^a  

There is no clear benefit from 

• bed rest post-lumbar puncture. ^d  
• fluid supplementation ^d

Why?

• Patients who rest in bed following lumbar puncture compared with getting up immediately are not clearly less likely to develop post-lumbar puncture headache. ^d
• Fluid supplementation does not clearly reduce headache following lumbar puncture. ^d

Warning about post-lumbar puncture headaches makes symptoms more likely.

Patient	Treatment	Comparison	Outcome	CER	RRR (95% CI)	NNT (95% CI)
adults undergoing lumbar puncture a	no warning about headache	warning about headache	post-lumbar puncture headache at days	46%	91%	3 (1 to 10)

Note:

• Few patients suffer complications following lumbar puncture (0% to 5%) ^c
• Warning patients about a post-lumbar puncture headache leads to more patients having one. ^a