Subarachnoid haemorrhages are where there is an extravasation of blood into the space between the arachnoid and pia. Subarachnoid haemorrhages often develop as a result of rupture of a cerebral aneurysm (most often arising from the circle of Willis or the middle cerebral artery bifurcation) or consequent to severe head trauma. Patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to aneurysmal…
A lumbar puncture (LP, also known as a spinal tap) is a diagnostic and at times, therapeutic medical procedure. Diagnostic indications The main diagnostic indications of performing a LP is for collection and evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnosis and exclusion of infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic diseases affecting the central nervous system. For example,…
Normal Cerebrospinal Fluid The photos shown here is that of normal cerebrospinal fluid after a lumbar puncture. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is colourless and odorless. Xanthochromia The cerebrospinal fluid here shows xanthochromia (Figure 1), meaning of yellow discolorization. Presence of xanthrochromia means that there is presence of red cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. With time, the red…