CSF CELL COUNT WITH DIFFERENTIAL

LAB4349

CSF CELL COUNT, CELL COUNT, CSF CELL CNT, SPINAL FLUID CELL COUNT WITH DIFFERENTIAL

CSF

1.0 mL

Label each tube with patient's full name, date, and time of collection, initials of person collecting spinal fluid, and the order in which the tubes were collected.

Sterile container

Refrigerated

Set Up:Daily Report Available: Routine 4 hours/ STAT 1 hour

Normal CSF is clear and colorless. Presence of fibrin clots is reported. Some body fluids are very high in protein and will have small fibrin clots in the specimen. CSF xanthochromia may be due to: 1. CSF protein over 100 mg/dl 2. Traumatic tap with lysis of erythrocytes 3. Bilirubinemia 4. intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage 5. contamination of CSF by merthiolate 6. Carotenemia 7. melanin in CSF due to meningeal melanosarcoma Turbidity in CSF may result from large numbers of leukocytes or bacteria and varies from slight opalescence typical in tuberculous meningitis to the grossly purulent appearance in some cases of pyogenic meningitis. Gross blood presents the problem of differentiating traumatic tap from bleeding subarachnoid hemorrhage or intracerebral hemorrhage. Differential diagnosis of traumatic tap versus subarachnoid hemorrhage is based on three findings: 1. Significant clearing of blood between first and last tubes. A decreasing erythrocyte count from the first to the last tube has a reported sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 50-60% for a traumatic tap. 2. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is associated with xanthochromia. 3. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is associated with erythrophagia on microscopic examination.