Cerebrospinal Fluid
CSF, Spinal Tap, Spinal Fluid Aspiration, Lumbar Puncture
- Tech Only CPT 88108
- Tech Pro CPT 88108 (2)
- PowerPath Code NGCS
- Schedule Monday - Friday
- Turn Around Time Within 2 business days of receipt
- Disease State Benign Conditions, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Malignant Conditions, Metastatic Cancers
- Methodology Cell Concentrated Cytology
Organs
Specimen Requirements
Fresh fluid in sterile container. No minimum/maximum volume requirements. Small volume may limit processing and/or interpretation. Any samples suspected of having prion disease will NOT be accepted.
Clinical Significance
Cellular morphology of cytologic specimens is interpreted to diagnose inflammatory, neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions. In addition, cytologic diagnoses is used to monitor recurrent and metastatic malignant conditions.
Required Patient Info
2 patient identifiers
Storage and Transportation
Cerebrospinal fluids are very fragile and should be sent to the laboratory within 48 hours for processing. When possible, store specimen at 2°C - 8°C. Do not freeze.
Cause for Rejection
Improper or inadequate patient identification, frozen specimens, any suspected of having prion disease.
Retention
Primary specimen container: 7 days from processing
Slide: 10 years