Multicentre study of the role of lumbar puncture in the diagnosis of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage.

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dc.creatorThompson, Daniel
dc.creatorVenturini, Sara
dc.creatorWhitfield, Peter C
dc.creatorHutchinson, Peter
dc.creatorGurusinghe, Nihal
dc.creatorTrivedi, Rikin
dc.creatorHelmy, Adel
dc.creatorLP for SAH diagnosis research collaborative
dc.date2025-07-30T14:47:22Z
dc.date2025-07
dc.date2025-04-29
dc.date2025-07-30T14:47:21Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-02T20:14:00Z
dc.descriptionFunder: Society of British Neurological Surgeons; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100023916
dc.descriptionFunder: Royal College of Surgeons of England; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000297
dc.descriptionFunder: National Institute for Health and Care Research; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000272
dc.descriptionFunder: NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100018956
dc.description<h4>Objectives</h4>This study identified the proportion of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) patients diagnosed by Lumbar Puncture (LP). Furthermore reporting the incidence of aneurysmal SAH if a CT scan performed within 6 h was reported as negative, and finally investigated if there has been a change in practice since the new NICE guidance for the diagnosis of SAH was published in November 2022.<h4>Methods</h4>A pragmatic multicentre audit was conducted in the UK and Ireland capturing referrals to 25 Neurosurgical centres between 1st November 2020-31st October 2023. Case referral identification was done in each unit using local medical records and referral databases based on local protocols.<h4>Results</h4>10,187 cases of spontaneous SAH were diagnosed within the study period: 9,357 were diagnosed by CT and 717 by LP. 7% of all confirmed SAH cases underwent lumbar punctures to return a diagnosis of spontaneous SAH when a CT head scan was non-diagnostic. This yielded 213 (3%) diagnoses of aneurysmal SAH. 55 cases(1%) of aneurysmal SAH initially had negative CT head scans within 6 h of ictus and a positive LP. We did not identify any evidence of a change in practice following the introduction of the NICE guidance in November 2022.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study shows that LP continues to be an important diagnostic test that will confirm a diagnosis of aneurysmal SAH in a small, but significant number of patients with thunderclap headache. We provide new data that may impact the current NICE guidelines on the diagnosis of SAH.
dc.descriptionSociety of British Neurological Surgeons
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.formattext/xml
dc.identifier0001-6268
dc.identifiers00701-025-06602-8
dc.identifier6602
dc.identifierhttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/387707
dc.identifier0942-0940
dc.identifier.urihttps://repo.dare.co.zw/handle/123456789/84255
dc.languageen
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.publisherhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-025-06602-8
dc.subjectLP for SAH diagnosis research collaborative
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectSubarachnoid Hemorrhage
dc.subjectTomography, X-Ray Computed
dc.subjectSpinal Puncture
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectIreland
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectPractice Guidelines as Topic
dc.subjectUnited Kingdom
dc.titleMulticentre study of the role of lumbar puncture in the diagnosis of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage.
dc.typeArticle

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