Clinical application of ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture in neonates
Liu Yunzhi, Hu Lanqiu, Ma Xiaofei, et al
1. Department of Neonatology, Liuzhou Hospital, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Liuzhou, Guangxi 545005, China; 2. Department of Ultrasound, Liuzhou Hospital, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Liuzhou, Guangxi 545005, China
Objective To investigate the clinical value and safety of ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture in neonates. Methods A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. A total of 106 hospitalized neonates who required lumbar puncture in the Department of Neonatology, Liuzhou Hospital, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from October 2023 to August 2024 were enrolled and randomly divided into the conventional lumbar puncture group (n=55) and the ultrasound-guided group (n=51) using a random number table method. The puncture success rate, operation duration, the number of puncture attempts, and complications such as traumatic bleeding were compared between the two groups. Statistical analyses were performed using independent samples t-test, nonparametric test and χ2 test. Results The operation duration in the ultrasound-guided group was significantly shorter than that in the conventional lumbar puncture group [(5.18±1.12) min vs (5.95±1.50) min], the number of puncture attempts was lower [1 (1, 1) vs 1 (1, 2)], and the traumatic bleeding rate was lower (11.8% vs 27.3%), with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). Among neonates with body weight ≥1 500 g, the ultrasound-guided group also showed shorter operation duration, fewer puncture attempts and lower traumatic bleeding rate than the conventional lumbar puncture group (all P<0.05). Conclusions Ultrasound-guided localization allows precise selection of puncture site via real-time anatomical imaging, which significantly shortens the operation
duration, reduces the number of puncture attempts and the risk of traumatic bleeding in neonatal lumbar
puncture, providing safer technical support for the accurate diagnosis of neonatal neurological diseases.
2026, Vol. 14 
