What is the purpose of a cervical puncture procedure?
Disease description:
I've been having severe neck pain recently, accompanied by numbness in my upper limbs. I heard that cervical puncture surgery might be helpful, and I'd like to learn more about the specific benefits of this procedure.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Chen Jian
Cervical puncture surgery, commonly referring to cervical epidural or intrathecal puncture, is an interventional diagnostic and therapeutic procedure performed in the cervical region. This procedure serves the following purposes:
1. Diagnosis: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be collected through puncture for diagnosing spinal cord diseases, infectious diseases, tumors, hemorrhage, and other conditions. Analysis of CSF provides important information regarding the status of the central nervous system.
2. Drainage: For patients with abscess formation around the cervical spine, puncture and drainage can help aspirate pus, alleviate local infection symptoms, and accelerate the recovery process.
3. Pathological biopsy: When there is an unknown mass or abnormal growth in the cervical region, a cervical puncture can be performed to obtain tissue samples for biopsy, determining whether the lesion is benign or malignant and guiding subsequent treatment.
4. Therapy: In some cases, cervical puncture can be used to directly inject medications, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, or chemotherapeutic agents, into the spinal cord or epidural space for the treatment of pain, inflammation, or cancer.
5. Decompression: In cases of acute spinal cord compression, puncture may help relieve pressure around the spinal cord—for example, pressure caused by hematoma or tumor—thereby alleviating symptoms and preventing permanent nerve damage.
Although this procedure plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment, it carries certain risks, including complications such as infection, bleeding, and nerve injury.
