Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) in Spanish

What it means

A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap or LP, is a procedure in which a thin, hollow needle is inserted into the lower part of the spine to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. MedlinePlus calls it the most common method of collecting CSF. The person lies on one side with the knees pulled up toward the chest, or sometimes sits bent forward, and a local numbing medicine is injected into the lower spine before the spinal needle is inserted. In most cases the procedure takes about 30 minutes. The sample is checked for signs of infection, inflammation, or diseases, and the test is also used to measure pressure in the spinal fluid.

Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) in Spanish

Spanish term: Punción lumbar
Gender and article: feminine: la punción lumbar (plural: las punciones lumbares)
Pronunciation: poon-SYOHN loom-BAR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
punción raquídea	General	The name MedlinePlus en español gives in parentheses after punción lumbar and lists among its alternative names.
punción espinal	General	Another name the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives for the same procedure.
raquicentesis	General	Another name the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives for the same procedure.
PL	General	Abbreviation of punción lumbar given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary.

Punción lumbar is the name used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary. The Spanish dictionary marks punción as a feminine medical noun meaning the introduction of a sharp instrument, such as a needle, into a tissue, organ or cavity: la punción, una punción lumbar. English has two names for the procedure, lumbar puncture and spinal tap, and the Spanish sources show the same kind of pairing: MedlinePlus en español writes punción lumbar (punción raquídea), and the NCI dictionary adds punción espinal, raquicentesis and the abbreviation PL.

The fluid is líquido cefalorraquídeo, abbreviated LCR in Spanish where English uses CSF. Other words from the MedlinePlus en español article are aguja espinal (spinal needle), anestesia local (local numbing medicine), médula espinal (spinal cord) and dolor de cabeza (headache). The article itself is titled Recolección de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR), the test for which the puncture collects the sample.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	I would like to do a lumbar puncture to collect a sample of the fluid around your spinal cord.	Quisiera hacerle una punción lumbar para obtener una muestra del líquido que rodea la médula espinal.
Patient	Is a lumbar puncture the same as a spinal tap?	¿La punción lumbar es lo mismo que la punción espinal?
Patient	Will it hurt when the needle goes in?	¿Me va a doler cuando entre la aguja?
Clinician	First I will inject a local anesthetic in your lower back.	Primero le voy a inyectar anestesia local en la parte baja de la espalda.
Clinician	Please lie on your side and pull your knees up toward your chest.	Por favor, acuéstese de lado y encoja las rodillas hacia el pecho.
Clinician	It is important that you stay still during the procedure.	Es importante que no se mueva durante el procedimiento.
Patient	I take a blood thinner every day. Is that a problem?	Tomo un anticoagulante todos los días. ¿Es un problema?
Patient	I have had a headache since the procedure. Who should I call?	Tengo dolor de cabeza desde el procedimiento. ¿A quién debo llamar?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap)
Spanish (Español)	Punción lumbar
Chinese (中文)	腰椎穿刺
Korean (한국어)	요추 천자
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Chọc dịch não tủy
Filipino (Tagalog)	Lumbar Puncture
Portuguese (Português)	Punção lombar
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การเจาะน้ำไขสันหลัง
Japanese (日本語)	腰椎穿刺

Where you'll see it

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Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Brain and nerves

All terms in this area: Brain and nerves — Cerebro y nervios

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.