spinal tap

American  

[spahyn-uhl tap] / ˈspaɪn əl ˈtæp /

noun

• spinal taps
  plural

1. lumbar puncture.

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spinal tap Scientific  

1. See lumbar puncture

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spinal-tap
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spinal taps
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spinal tap

Through a PET scan and spinal tap, I saw the sticky, abnormal plaques associated with the disease building up in my brain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

If he looked ill enough, a spinal tap would be performed, during which he would be curled into a ball like a fetus.

From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2025

For months, doctors couldn’t figure out why, until a spinal tap revealed she had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack its own nerves, leading to tingling, weakness and pain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2023

Current state of the art testing methods for Alzherimer's and Parkinson's require a spinal tap and imaging tests, including an MRI.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2023

But a spinal tap was required before a specific diagnosis could be made, he told me.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French