Lumbar puncture helpful for diagnosing Lyme neuroborreliosis?

Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast with your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, Dr. Cameron will be discussing a case which examines the diagnostic value of a lumbar puncture in Lyme neuroborreliosis.

The case was first described by Portales-Castillo and colleagues in the journal Cureus in a paper entitled “To Lumbar Puncture or Not to Lumbar Puncture.” The authors presented a case of “early disseminated Lyme neuroborreliosis with manifestations of facial palsy and painful radiculoneuritis as determined by clinical and serological criteria.”¹

A 61-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with an inability to close her left eye and an odd sensation on part of her face. She presented with erythematous raised circled rash and swelling on the base of the index finger of her right hand.