Temporary Drainage of Cerebrospinal Fluid for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hydrocephalus.

Lumbar puncture is a frequently used procedure in the diagnosis and treatment of CSF disorders. Specialized tests such as the lumbar tap test and CSF infusion study are often used in the assessment of patients with possible idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), but their utility in this setting is questionable. The Extended Lumbar Drainage (ELD) test is a better test for ruling out possible shunt responsiveness in iNPH but still has limitations. External ventricular drainage is an important temporizing measure in acute hydrocephalus particularly in the presence of possible infection or hemorrhagic CSF.