Lumbar puncture in children from an area of malaria endemicity who present with a febrile seizure

Abstract

Background. Although routine lumbar puncture (LP) is often recommended as part of the assessment of feverassociated seizures in children, accumulating evidence questions its value and reveals a decrease in its frequency. Our primary hypothesis was that children who present with a single seizure but with no clinical signs of meningism or coma do not require LP as part of initial diagnostic assessment. Methods. We prospectively followed up 377 children aged 2 months through 10 years who presented with at least 1 fever-associated seizure to Modilon Hospital, Madang, Papua New Guinea, from November 2007 through July 2009. Clinical management was performed by hospital staff according to national ..