Laboratory tests

Blood tests

Many neurological diseases can already be detected or ruled out by blood sampling. The laboratory tests are either performed by a renowned local laboratory on Mallorca or sent to our partner laboratory Riegel in Wiesbaden. First results are usually available within 24 h.

Lumbar puncture

An examination of the cerebrospinal fluid examination is necessary in the case of some neurological diseases. It is obtained by lumbar puncture. A cannula is inserted into the spinal canal in the region of the lumbar spine and some fluid is extracted. This fluid is examined with different methods in the laboratory. The intracranial pressure can also be measured in this way. The extraction can be performed on an ambulatory basis in our practice. A separate room with a hospital bed and TV is available, as bed rest is usually required for 6 hours after a puncture. The puncture can be performed in a sitting or lying (s. image) position.

Some diseases can be detected or even treated in this way, e.g.

• idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH),
• normal pressure hydrocephalus,
• inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, such as neuroborreliosis, encephalitis or meningitis,
• multiple sclerosis;
• Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed by the determination of certain protein constellations in the spinal fluid even several years in advance of the first symptoms,
  tumors in the brain or in the spinal cord,
• subarachnoid brain hemorrhages.