Objective
To examine the effects that iatrogenic blood contamination would have on total protein concentration and nucleated cell count in CSF from clinically normal dogs and dogs with neurologic disease.
Design
Case-control study.
Study Population
53 dogs confirmed to have neurologic disease and 21 clinically normal dogs.
Procedure
CSF samples were obtained from the cerebellomedullary cistern or the lumbar portion of the subarachnoid space. Red blood and nucleated cell counts were determined, and protein concentration was measured.
Results
RBC count was not significantly correlated with nucleated cell count or protein concentration in clinically normal dogs or dogs with neurologic disease.
Clinical Implications
High CSF nucleated cell counts and protein concentrations are indicative of neurologic disease, even if samples contain moderate amounts of blood contamination. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1997;211:866–867)