Value and Limitations of Spinal Puncture in Cerebral Hemorrhage of the New-Born

During the past few years, numerous investigators have studied the value of spinal puncture in the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral hemorrhage in the new-born. Sharpe concludes that bloody fluid is an indication of cerebral hemorrhage, that clear fluid practically excludes such a diagnosis, and that whenever the cerebrospinal fluid is bloody, repeated punctures should be done. In a recent report he1says: If free blood is present in the cerebrospinal fluid, repeated lumbar punctures of spinal drainage are immediately instituted, just as in adults and children with head injuries, in order to permit the free blood to escape and thus avoid the great danger not only of death but in some cases the even more tragic result of spasticity and retarded mentality. If the diagnostic lumbar puncture reveals clear cerebrospinal fluid, the physician knows almost certainly that no intracranial hemorrhage has occurred and that the signs were most