Spinal needle tips

Needles for spinal anesthesia or lumbar puncture can be classified according to the needle tip. Cutting-tip, or Quincke, needles have sharp, cutting tips, with the hole at the end of the needle. Whitacre and Sprotte needles are two types of pencil point, or noncutting tip needles. They have a closed tip shaped like a pencil, with the hole on the side of the needle near the tip. Pencil point needles are designed to minimize leak of cerebrospinal fluid after puncture and reduce the chance of postdural puncture headache.