Collecting, processing, and preparing cerebrospinal fluid in dogs and cats

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is critical in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with neurologic disease. A multitude of diagnostic tests can be performed on CSF in an effort to identify the cause of neurologic abnormalities, In general, CSF analysis is a sensitive indicator of neurologic disease but rarely provides a definitive diagnosis. Although collection is easily performed with the appropriate technique, proper processing and preparation of CSF are necessary to ensure adequate sensitivity and improve the likelihood of identifying a specific disease process. Without proper collection, processing, and preparation of CSF samples, differentiation between pathologic and nonpathologic conditions may be difficult if not impossible.