Subarachnoid haemorrhage - Findings in cerebrospinal fluid, in particular the glucose level

The author summarizes in the submitted review findings of changes in the composition of cerebrospinal fluid as a response to the presence of blood in the CSF pathways. He describes the dynamics of spectrophotometrically assessed xanthochromia and the course of "clearing" of liquor after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). He mentions the time coincidence between vasospasms and liquor changes, in particular glycorrhachia. He draws attention to the concentration gradient between the blood sugar level and glycorrhachia which is highest in the lumbar liquor and lowest in the ventricular liquor. Hypoglycorrhachia in SAH is considered a secondary phenomenon associated with vasospasms and subsequent tissue hypoxia. The differences in the glucose content in ventricular and lumbar liquor are considered by the author as indirect evidence of the "nutritive function" of cerebrospinal fluid.