Queckenstedt's maneuver

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Queckenstedt's maneuver is an outdated clinical test, formerly used for diagnosing spinal stenosis. The test is performed by placing the patient in lateral decubitus position, thereafter the clinician performs a lumbar puncture. The opening pressure is measured. Then, the clinician's assistant compresses both jugular veins, which leads to a rise in the intracranial pressure. Given normal anatomy, the intracranial pressure will be reflected as a rapidly rising pressure measured from the lumbar needle. If the there is a stenosis in the spine, there will be a damped, delayed response in the lumbar pressure, thus a positive Queckenstedt's maneuvre. Nowadays this test has been made mostly superfluous by superior imaging modalities like MRI and CAT.

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