Will a Lumbar Puncture Diagnose Ms?
A Lumbar Puncture Is a Common Test Used to Diagnose Ms, and It's a Relatively Simple Test to Perform. It's Generally the First Step in Determining Whether You...
A lumbar puncture is a common test used to diagnose MS, and it's a relatively simple test to perform. It's generally the first step in determining whether you have MS if you're showing symptoms. Your doctor will determine whether further tests are needed to confirm a diagnosis.
What can be diagnosed from a lumbar puncture?
- Serious bacterial, fungal and viral infections, including meningitis, encephalitis and syphilis.
- Bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage)
- Certain cancers involving the brain or spinal cord.
Can you have MS with a normal lumbar puncture?
However, you cannot 100 percent confirm or rule out MS based on a spinal tap, explains Dr. Giesser. “Even if the spinal tap is negative, about 10 percent of people who have MS have normal spinal fluid. And if it's positive, other things [other than MS] can cause a positive result,” she says.
Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.
