Safety of Lumbar Punctures in Adult Oncology Patients with Thrombocytopenia

Introduction:Lumbar puncture (LP) is a frequently performed diagnostic and therapeutic intervention in adult oncology patients. While thrombocytopenia is common in this patient population, the minimum "safe" platelet count required for LPs is unknown. Recent guidelines from the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) recommend a pre-procedure platelet count of 50 x 109/L. However this recommendation is largely based on expert opinion, and there remains a paucity of studies in the adult oncology literature to address this important question.