R83.6: Abnormal findings in cerebrospinal fluid : abnormal cytological findings

There are cavities with cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, around the brain and around the spinal cord. Among other things, the cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord during knocks and also nourishes the brain cells. The cerebrospinal fluid is usually taken from the lower back for examination. The cerebrospinal fluid normally only contains a certain amount of different substances. These substances include certain cells and certain proteins, for example.

Altered cells have been detected in your cerebrospinal fluid. You usually look closely at the cells under a microscope. The cells are usually stained beforehand so that any changes can be detected more easily. Altered cells have a different shape or size, for example. The amount of altered cells is also significant.

If the amount of substances in the cerebrospinal fluid has changed, this can sometimes be an indication of disease. The results can also depend on when the cerebrospinal fluid is sampled or how the cerebrospinal fluid is stored until it is examined, for example.