[Eosinophilic granulocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid]

The first section of the paper presents the morphology, structure and function of the eosinophilic granulocytes, while the second part deals with major neurologic diseases in which eosinophils are present or represent significant findings. These data are compared with the results of the author's own examinations of 1,000 unselected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. Eosinophils appeared usually in conjunction with infection, followed by foreign body inflammation. If the proportion of eosinophils exceeds 4%, the condition is termed CSF-eosinophilia, which usually develops in the presence of foreign bodies. However, infection may produce similar findings, especially in parasitic disease, and tumours of the central nervous system occasionally present with CSF eosinophilia.