title: Sedation of children during measurement of CSF opening pressure: lack of standardisation in German children with pseudotumor cerebri.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) requires proper documentation of raised CSF opening-pressure. In childhood results may not be reliable due to insufficient sedation/analgesia or drug effects. We aimed to evaluate the current practice regarding pain and stress management in children undergoing lumbar puncture (LP) for pressure measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A one-year survey was conducted involving 368 German paediatric departments. All children with newly diagnosed PTC should be reported. Details analyzed here included: age, sex, CSF opening pressure and type of procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) during LP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  61 patients were analyzed, aged 6 months to 17 years. 29 patients (47%) did not receive any kind of PSA. In children receiving PSA the following regimens were used: Ketamine; Midazolam; Ketamine + Midazolam; Midazolam + Piritramide; Propofol; Profofol + Midazolam; general anaesthesia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pain and stress management in children undergoing LP for CSF opening pressure measurement is often insufficient. Pain, stress and the variability of PSA regimen may be confounders of pressure measurement. In order to prevent false diagnoses of PTC and to obtain comparable results at different centers, a general consensus on PSA in children undergoing LP for CSF opening pressure measurements is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, University Children's Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany. daniel.tibussek@gmx.net
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tibussek
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Distelmaier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kummer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: von Kries
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mayatepek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015170:Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012015:Reference Standards; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000592:standards*