spT Healing Abbreviation

Spinal Tap

Also known as a lumbar puncture or "LP", a spinal tap is aprocedure whereby spinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal for the purpose ofdiagnostic testing. It is particularly helpful in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseasesof the central nervous system, especially infections, such as meningitis. It can alsoprovide clues to the diagnosis of stroke, spinal cord tumor and cancer in thecentral nervous system. A lumbar puncture is so-called because the needle goes into the lumbar portion (the "small") of the back.