BACKGROUND: Cutting needles remain the most commonly used needle design for lumbar puncture in the neurology community, although atraumatic (noncutting) needles have become common and popular for anesthesiologists performing spinal anesthesia. REVIEW SUMMARY: The use of atraumatic spinal needles for lumbar puncture has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of postdural puncture headache compared with cutting needles, without loss of efficacy or ease of use. CONCLUSION: The use of noncutting or pencil-point spinal needles should become the standard for performing diagnostic lumbar puncture.
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