Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM METASTASES – LUMBAR PUNCTURE

These X-rays and scans show up cancer lumps but do not help much when looking for meningeal involvement. To check for this a lumbar puncture is necessary. Under local anaesthetic, a fine needle is inserted into the fluid which surrounds and cushions the spinal cord and brain (the cerebro-spinal fluid or CSF). The pressure in the CSF can be measured through the needle and is an indication of the pressure throughout the central nervous system. A sample of fluid can be withdrawn for testing, including examination under the microscope for cancer cells. When done correctly, a lumbar puncture is not much more painful than a blood test. Headache can occur after a lumbar puncture. These headaches are thought to be due to CSF continuing to leak out through the tiny hole in the meningeal covering. To reduce the chance of this happening, you may be advised to lie flat for some hours after the lumbar puncture.

Central nervous system symptoms can also result from cancer deposits pressing on a part of the central nervous system from the outside.

*113/40/1*

RelatedPosts:

• YOUR CANCER, YOUR LIFE – SCREENING FOR CERVICAL CANCER (PRE-CANCER STAGE)
• NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS TO PREVENT CANCER: BEE POLLEN, BRYOSTATINS AND CHLOROPHYLL
• CANCER DIETARY GUIDELINES
• CONTROL YOUR CANCER
• COUNTERACTING SIDE EFFECTS OF CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY: TREATMENT OF NAUSEA/VOMITING
• WHAT YOU MAY NOT BE TOLD ABOUT SURGERY