Cerebrospinal fluid: history, collection techniques, indications, contraindications and complications

Abstract

This article is based on a historical review of the medical literature with the purpose of acknowledging the historical stages and anatomical findings over the years, which led gradually to performance of the first lumbar puncture by Quincke, as well as collection techniques and analyses, allowing it to be an irreplaceable diagnostic tool in daily clinical practice. Cerebrospinal fluid analyses have continued to develop and nowadays play a major role in diagnosing and understanding the physiopathology of a great variety of neurological conditions. Biomarkers and genetic sequencing have recently been the target of multiple studies and are implicated as promising diagnostic tools of a large range of diseases.