[Lateral cervical puncture as a new method for collecting cerebrospinal fluid. Experience in Recife and its metropolitan area].

200 cervical lateral punctions (CLP) were performed in comatose patients without psychomotor trouble proving this new system to be an alternative for suboccipital punction. This procedure was successful in 90% of the cases. Low importance venous accidents happened but they did not bring any injury or serious consequences to the patients or to cerebrospinal fluid examination results. Vertebral artery injury was not observed. Punctions in corpses showed us that this artery is one cm far from the needle trajectory during the realization of the CLP.