Stylet injury syndrome
M. Trupp
Failure to properly use the stylet when withdrawing a spinal puncture
needle may cause aspiration of a lumbar nerve root and adjacent arachnoid,
thereby fixing the nerve in the epidural space. Root fixation may cause a
painful syndrome, requiring laminectomy and replacement of the nerve root
within the subarachnoid space. Since laminectomy is rarely performed at the
lumbar puncture site, the frequency of the syndrome remains undetermined.
