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Ultrasound-Assisted Lumbar Puncture

Ultrasound-localized Landmark Identification in Hospitalized Patients Requiring Lumbar Puncture: Implications for Safety, Quality, and Procedural Success

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03167190
Enrollment
32
Registered
2017-05-25
Start date
2017-05-25
Completion date
2018-06-30
Last updated
2020-01-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Diagnostic Imaging, Spinal Puncture

Keywords

Point of Care Ultrasound

Brief summary

Although the lumbar puncture is a common procedure and has been performed without ultrasound for decades, other research studies suggest that there may be some benefits to using ultrasound. This study intends to see whether by using ultrasound there is increased success rate, decreased need for additional procedures, and less discomfort during the procedure.

Interventions

PROCEDUREPoint-of-care ultrasound

A point-of-care ultrasound machine will be utilized to identify and mark midline and the interspinous space based on visualization of spinous processes.

PROCEDURETraditional Landmark-based Lumbar Puncture

Palpation of anatomical landmarks to identify midline and interspinous space

Sponsors

Mayo Clinic
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Intervention model description

Participants will be enrolled into the control group (Landmark-based palpation and skin marking) vs the experimental group (ultrasound assisted identification of bony landmarks and skin marking).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients who registered for an emergency or inpatient encounter between 5/22/2017 and 5/08/2018 2. Males or females 18 years of age or older 3. Patients who have been identified as requiring a lumbar puncture for any therapeutic or diagnostic or therapeutic indication, as decided by the neurology staff physicians, residents, or advanced practice providers.

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients who are not capable of providing consent for participation in research and do not have an authorized relative or power of attorney to consent in their stead. 2. Patients who require lumbar puncture in an emergency, time dependent fashion and in whom a possible delay could conceivable have a negative clinical impact. 3. Patients with known abnormal lumbar spinal anatomy or prior extensive surgical fusion such that fluoroscopic or CT guidance is determined to be more clinically appropriate by the treating physicians. 4. BMI greater than 60 5. Absolute contraindication to lumbar puncture such as uncorrected coagulopathy

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean Procedural DurationApproximately 1 hourThis is defined by number of minutes from initiating of patient positioning (prior to evaluation of the anatomical landmarks) to first flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Fluoroscopically Guided or CT Guided Lumbar PuncturesApproximately 7 daysIn the event of ultrasound procedural failure by clinician
Total number of unique skin puncturesApproximately 1 dayThis will be defined by the needle bevel completely exiting and skin and being re-inserted, during the duration of the procedure, whether the procedure is ultimately successful or not.
Procedurist reported ease of the procedureApproximately 1 dayProcedurist reported ease of the procedure will be reported by a 10 cm visual analog scale, with 0=easy and 10=very difficult.
Number of Procedures Considered to be FailuresApproximately 1 hourAs defined by inability to obtain cerebrospinal fluid despite multiple attempts, terminated at the discretion of the procedurist as would otherwise be clinically determined.
Number of red blood cells in collected CSFApproximately 1 dayThis will be abstracted manually from the patient's electronic medical record.
Hospital Length of StayApproximately 1 monthThis will be abstracted manually from the patient's electronic medical record.
Patient reported discomfortApproximately 1 dayPatient reported discomfort will be reported by a 10 cm visual analog scale, with 0=no discomfort and 10=extreme discomfort.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026