Lumbar Puncture (LP)

Indications, procedure, and CSF interpretation.

Reviewed by Dr Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MRCGP (General Practitioner)
Last reviewed: 21 October 2025
NeurologyInfectious DiseasesEmergency Medicine

Clinical Guidelines

NICE guideline NG240: Meningitis (bacterial) and meningococcal disease
National
NICE Quality statement 2: Lumbar puncture
National
Aseptic and Bacterial Meningitis: Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention in Adults
Local
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Lumbar puncture
Local
Consensus guidelines for lumbar puncture in patients with neurological diseases
Local
Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old
Local
Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on postdural puncture headache
Local
NICE guideline CG149: Bacterial meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia in children and young people
Local
Platelet Transfusion: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the AABB
Local
S1 guidelines “lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis”
Local