TY - JOUR T1 - How to useā€¦ lumbar puncture in children JF - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition JO - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed SP - 264 LP - 271 DO - 10.1136/archdischild-2014-307600 VL - 100 IS - 5 AU - Peter Schulga AU - Rosemary Grattan AU - Craig Napier AU - Mohamed O E Babiker Y1 - 2015/10/01 UR - http://ep.bmj.com/content/100/5/264.abstract N2 - Lumbar puncture (LP) is a useful diagnostic tool in a wide spectrum of paediatric clinical situations. A common indication is to rule out a serious intracranial infection in a febrile child. Success rate can be optimised by proper positioning, appropriate technique and enhanced operator's skill in performing the procedure. The purpose of this review is to explore the indications and contraindications for performing paediatric LP, to describe the anatomical and physiological knowledge required to maximise success rates and to describe complications and their management. We will also provide advice on requesting various cerebrospinal fluid studies, interpretation of results and clinical situations in which LP may be indicated. ER -