Spinal tap on a newborn People should only be diagnosed with encephalitis if they have a decreased or altered level of consciousness, lethargy, or personality change for at least twenty-four hours without any other explainable cause. Diagnosing encephalitis is done via a variety of tests: * Brain scan, done by MRI, can determine inflammation and differentiate from other possible causes. * EEG, in monitoring brain activity, encephalitis will produce abnormal signal. * Lumbar puncture (spinal tap), this helps determine via a test using the cerebral-spinal fluid, obtained from the lumbar region. * Blood test * Urine analysis * Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of the cerebrospinal fluid, to detect the presence of viral DNA which is a sign of viral encephalitis.
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