Cerebrospinal Fluid Analyis Flashcards
3rd Major Body Fluid
Cerebrospinal Fluid
Produce a mechanical barrier to cushion the brain & spinal cord against trauma
CSF
Lines the skull & vertebral canal
Dura Mater
Filamentous inner membrane
Arachnoid Mater
portion where CSF flows
Subarachnoid space
Lines the surface of brain & spinal cord
Pia Mater
Hard Mother (Outer Layer)
Dura Mater
Spiderweb-like
Arachnoid Mater
Soft Mother (Innermost layer)
Pia Mater
Produces CSF by selective filtration at a rate of 20 mL/hour
Choroid Plexus
Produces CSF by selective filtration at a rate of ____________
20mL/hour
Reabsorbs CSF
Arachnoid Villi/Granulations
Protects brain from chemicals & other substances circulating in the blood that can harm the brain tissue
Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)
Disruption of _________ allows White blood cells, proteins & other chemicals to enter the CSF
BBB
CSF Total volume for Adults
90-150mL
CSF Total volume for Neonates
10-60mL
Up to 20 mL CSF can be collected by ____________
Lumbar Puncture
Lumbar Puncture site for adults
3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae
Lumbar Puncture site for children
5th lumbar vertebrae
Tube 1 for CSF
Chemistry/Serology
Tube 2 for CSF
Microbiology
Tube 3 for CSF
Hematology
Storage for Tube 1
Freezing Temp. ( -15 to -30 C)
Storage for Tube 2
Room Temp (19-26 C)
Storage for Tube 3
Ref. Temp (2-8 C)
Position for Lumbar Tap
Lateral Decubitus Position/Fetal Position
Up to __________ of volume can be removed safely for CSF collection
20mL
Device used to measure intracranial pressure
Manometer
least affected by blood or bacteria introduced by spinal tap
Tube 1
usually designated for microbiology
Tube 2
least likely to contain cells introduced by the spinal tap
Tube 3
better exclusion of skin contamination or for additional tests
Tube 4
If only one tube is collected/ LOW-VOLUME specimen in one tube
Microbiology-> Hematology->Chemistry/Serology
do not discard and kept frozen until there is no further use for it
Excess CSF
Normal appearance of CSF fluid
Crystal Clear
Clear
0
newsprint cannot be read through the fluid
4
Inc. WBC (>200/uL)
RBC (>400/uL)
Lipids & proteins
microorganism
Hazy/Turbid/Milky/Cloudy
Radiographic Contrast Media
Oily
Protein & clotting factors, meningitis, Froin syndrome, blockage of CSF circulation
Clotted
Tubercular meningitis
Pellicle
Due to hemoglobin degradation products
Xanthochromic
Slight amount of oxyhemoglobin
Pink
heavy hemolysis
Orange
conversion of oxyhemoglobin to unconjugated bilirubin
Yellow
Other causes of Xanthochromia
Increase carotene
Melanoma
Protein (>150 md/dL)
Rifampin
Increase RBC (>6000/uL)
Bloody
Puncture of the blood vessel
Traumatic Tap
Bleeding within the braincase
Intracranial Hemorrhage
Process to examine a blood fluid for the presence of xanthochromia
Centrifuged in microhematocrit tube
Detects the fibrin degradation product D-dimer
Indicates fibrin formation at a hemorrhage site
D-dimer by Latex Agglutination Immunoassay
Distribution of blood on 3 tubes in Traumatic Tap
UNEVEN
Distribution of blood on 3 tubes in Intracranial Hemorrhage
EVEN
Clot formation in Traumatic Tap
Positive
Clot formation in Intracranial Hemorrhage
Negative
Supernatant of Traumatic Tap
Clear
Supernatant of Intracranial Hemorrhage
Xanthochromic
Erythrophage
(Macrophages w/ ingested RBCs) in Traumatic Tap
Absent
Erythrophage
(Macrophages w/ ingested RBCs) in Intracranial Hemorrhage
Present
D-dimer test for Traumatic Tap
Negative
D-dimer Test for Intracranial Hemorrhage
Positive
Xanthochromia in NEONATES results from a combination of increased _________ and _________ due to immaturity in the BBB
Bilirubin and Protein
Normal
Viral tubercular & fungal meningitis
Multiple sclerosis
Lymphocytes and Monocytes
Bacterial meningitidis; early cases of viral, tubercular & fungal meningitis; cerebral hemorrhage
Neutrophil
Parasitic & Fungal; Coccidioidal meningitis; CNS shunts
Eosinophils
With RBCs in spinal fluid
Macrophages
May contain phagocytized RBCs appearing as empty vacuoles or ghost cells, hemosiderin granules, and hematoidin crystals
Macrophage
Blast form
Acute Leukemia
Lymphoma cells
Disseminated Lymphomas
Plasma cells
Multiple Sclerosis
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Ependymal, Choroidal and Spindle shaped Cells
Diagnostic procedures
Malignant Cells
Primary and Metastatic Carcinomas
Performed on stained smear
CSF Differential Count
Specimen should be concentrated before smearing by using the following:
Cytocentrifugation
Centrifugation
Sedimentation
Filtration