Lumbar puncture is a safe and commonly performed procedure, with an overall complication rate of 0.1% to 0.5%.
Post lumbar puncture spinal hematoma
Post lumbar puncture headache
Bloody tap.
Dry tap.
Infection.
Dysesthesia.
Post–dural puncture cerebral herniation.
Under some circumstances, lumbar puncture cannot be performed safely (e.g. a severe bleeding tendency). It is regarded as a safe procedure, but post-dural-puncture headache is common.
Lapadula et al. report a case of a young man with epilepsy who, after a lumbar puncture performed for research purposes, presented with an intracerebral hematoma and neurological deficits. To the best of our knowledge, post-tap intraparenchymal hematoma is extremely rare and only 1 case has been reported previously. In consideration, all patients undergoing a lumbar puncture should be informed about this possible rare complication, even in the absence of documented hemorrhagic risk factors 1).
The Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Network Antwerp, Belgium published a case of severe bilateral subdural hematomas as a complication of diagnostic lumbar puncture for possible Alzheimer's disease 2).