The quincke-type lumbar puncture needle is sterile with non-toxic, disposable ethylene oxide. It is used to take cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for analysis (eg, to diagnose severe headache or to suspect infection or bleeding in the central nervous system), to administer drugs to the brain or spinal cord (e.g. , anesthetic or chemotherapeutic agents), or to relieve CSF from excess pressure or fluid (eg in cerebral palsy).
