Knowledge For Spinal Needle

Spinal needles are used to inject analgesia and/or anesthetic directly into the CSF usually at a point below the second lumbar vertebra.

Needles for spinal anesthesia or lumbar puncture can be classified according to the needle tip. Cutting-tip, or Quincke, needles have sharp, cutting tips, with the hole at the end of the needle. Whitacre and Sprotte needles are two types of pencil point, or noncutting tip needles.

A spinal needle 25G is a medical device used for lumbar puncture procedures. It is a thin, hollow needle with a diameter of 0.5 millimeters and a length of about 90 millimeters. The "G" in 25G stands for the gauge of the needle, which is a measure of its thickness.

Current evidences suggest that pencil-point spinal needle is significantly superior comparing with cutting spinal needle regarding the frequency of PDPH, PDPH severity, and the use of EBP. In view of this, we recommend the use of pencil-point spinal needle in spinal anesthesia and lumbar puncture.

Where is a spinal needle inserted?

It's performed in your lower back, in the lumbar region. During a lumbar puncture, a needle is inserted into the space between two lumbar bones (vertebrae) to remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. This is the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord to protect them from injury.

Do spinal needles hurt?You may feel some pressure during the injection. Most of the time, the procedure is not painful. It is important not to move during the procedure because the injection needs to be very precise. You are watched for 15 to 20 minutes after the injection before going home.

The advantages of a spinal needle:

In order to maximize PDPH prophylaxis, the majority of atraumatic needles used in clinical practice are of narrow gauge, i.e. 24 gauge to 27 gauge. The outstanding advantage of the atraumatic spinal needle is that it reduces the incidence of PDPH in high risk patient groups.