[Queckenstedt test--pressure pattern analysis in spinal subarachnoidal block].

Pressure pattern analysis of Queckenstedt test was performed to detect the partial subarachnoidal block in patients with spinal or dural canal stenosis. The Queckenstedt test was performed by lumbar puncture when the patient was in lateral recumbent posture with bilateral jugular compression in three different neck positions; neutral, flexion and extension. Lumbar subarachnoidal pressure was visually measured each successive 5 seconds during a 30 second period of jugular compression, followed by a succession of 5 second measurements for 30 seconds after release of compression. The pressure changes during the total 60 seconds were demonstrated by pressure-time graph. The pressure pattern during jugular compression in patients with neurosis, neuropathy or muscle disease (total 18 cases, Fig.1) who were thought to have no subarachnoidal block showed sudden steep rise of pressure which gradually slowed and rapidly returned to pre-compression level after release of compression. The normal pattern showed upward convexity-downward concave and was almost identical in three different neck positions. Therefore we considered the normal pressure pattern to be a parabola-like or an exponential curve like patterns. The patients group with cevical spondylotic radiculopathy (16 cases, Fig. 3A) showed nearly normal pressure pattern except for some loss of upward convexity during neck extension and neutral positions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)