Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) is a transparent, clear fluid that circulates around the central nervous system. His job is to protect, nourish and support the central nervous system. This fluid is produced in ventricules of the brain and circulates in the subarachnoid space caudally, being absorved in cavernous sinus.
In some neurological cases, the analysis of this liquid is a tool of vital importance, its analysis can give us a final diagnostic, the fastest and most effective treatment possible and most likely prognosis.
CSF should be recovered for analysis in:
- Inflammatory/Infectious lesions
- Neoplasia
- Vascular lesions
- Radiculopathies
- Exclusion diagnosis (Epilepsy is one of the examples)
While CSF analysis can be very important, in some cases we should not do it (If the animal has a cerebral herniation is one of the cases). Therefore it is very important that your veterinarian talks to you about this possibility. CSF recovery also implies anaesthesia, do to the fact that the animal should not move during the whole process, because movement is dangerous while drawing it.
