In the lower part of the lumbar spine, a small amount of nerve fluid is retrieved using a thin, non-traumatic needle and sent to the laboratory for analysis. The examination is performed in our outpatient clinic (two hours lying down). A lumbar puncture involves removal of nerve fluid from the spinal canal at the level of the lumbar spine. During this procedure, a thin needle is inserted between the vertebrae into the spinal canal, which contains no spinal cord at the level of the lumbar spine, but only nerve roots. The spinal cord therefore cannot be injured during this examination. The extracted nerve fluid can then be examined for its components, especially cells and proteins. This examination is able to detect inflammatory diseases of the nervous system, such as Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease, or multiple sclerosis, a form of inflammation of the nervous system triggered by the immune system.
