SAH-LP FINDINGS
SUMMARY
1. Non-clotting, bloody CSF that does not clear with subsequent tubes.
2. Xanthochromia: yellow or pink discoloration of CSF due to bilirubin/heme pigments released by breakdown of RBC. This is the most reliable means of differentiating SAH from a traumatic tap. Spectro-photometry is more accurate than visual inspection.
3. RBC count: should not drop significantly. Usually > 100,000 cells/mm3. Should not increase significantly (this would indicate a traumatic tap).
4. Protein: elevated due to blood breakdown products.
5. Glucose: may be normal or reduced as RBCs metabolize glucose with time.
Reference(s)
Greenberg, M., 1997. Handbook Of Neurosurgery. 7th ed. Lakeland, Fla.: Greenberg Graphics
Quiñones-HinojosaA. (2012). Schmidek and Sweet: Operative Neurosurgical Techniques: Indications, Methods and Results. 6th ed. Saunders.
Rhoton, A.L. and Congress Of Neurological Surgeons (2003). Rhoton cranial anatomy and surgical approaches. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
