Cerebrospinal Fluid Study (Spinal Tap):

The diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid study is often referred to as a lumbar puncture.  A lumbar puncture may be performed to assess the pressure around the brain and spinal cord, to inject dye for a radiographic diagnostic test, to give spinal anesthesia or to inject medications.  The study is also used to test the contents of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Testing the CSF can help reveal the presence of disorders of the central nervous system, which may involve the brain or the spinal cord.  The evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) includes testing of the number and type of white blood cells, the level of glucose (sugar), the types and levels of proteins, the presence of infectious organisms, the presence of biochemical tumor markers and of abnormal cell types.

Ceretec: exametazime

CERETEC is a radionuclear pharmaceutical imaging agent that is labeled with technetium 99m. Its generic name is exametazime. It is used for intravenous nuclear medicine studies.  This agent has special properties and different applications.  One is for visualization of cerebral blood flow and upper central nervous system vascular flow in stroke patients and the other is for labeling of white blood cells to localize intra-abdominal infection and inflammatory bowel disease.  It has been used to help evaluate spinal infections and the extent of spinal metastasis.

A thorough knowledge of the normal distribution of intravenously administered technetium Tc 99m is essential in order to interpret pathologic studies accurately.  Caution should be exercised in making the final diagnosis.  As in the Indium studies, results can be affected by the presence of a variety of other problems including but not limited to: tumor, infarction, peritonitis, or gastrointestinal or bony sites of inflammatory cell collections.