PEDIATRICS Vol. 48 No. 2 August 1971, pp. 335-336
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rothman, F. B.
Right arrow Articles by Byers, R. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rothman, F. B.
Right arrow Articles by Byers, R. K.

Improved Method of Lumbar Puncture in the Newborn and Small Infant

Fredric B. Rothman M.D.1 and Randolph K. Byers M.D.2

1 4303 Talmadge Road, Toledo, Ohio 43623
2 Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Successful lumbar puncture in the newborn or small infant is a matter of luck rather than skill. Practice does not make perfect in the execution of this diagnostically major procedure. Thus, the "traumatic" tap is a frequent acute disappointment for even experienced physicians.

For years I'd accepted the vagaries of chance while seeking crucial data about cerebrospinal fluid. Then one night about 5 years ago the frustrating scenario suggested above was again reenacted. The nursery supply of "spinal needles" was exhausted.