The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has joined a research program which aims to improve the treatment of babies with suspected neurological conditions.
The NNUH's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has signed up to the NeoCLEAR trial which aims to investigate the best techniques for taking a samples of spinal fluid from babies.
Dr Raducu Clapuci, joint principal investigator for the study at the NNUH, said the trial could reduce the need for repeat procedures and help achieve more accurate test results which would in turn mean less stress for babies and their parents.
He said: 'Hopefully this trial will give clearer results on what method is best. Parents can feel quite anxious about it, but when the results of the study will be available, that should change our practice for the better way of performing a lumbar puncture.'
The NeoCLEAR trail is being coodinated by The University of Oxford, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
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