Routine investigations of the CSF with special reference to meningeal malignancy and infectious meningitis

Usefulness of cell count and concentrations of glucose and total protein in CSF are analysed with regard to the diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis from solid and hematological malignancy. A group of patients with pleiocytosis in CSF of non-neoplastic origin served as a reference group. It is concluded that these routine tests have limited value for the determination of the viral, bacterial or neoplastic etiology of meningeal disorders. The most important value of these tests appears to be the discriminating capacity of the finding of an increased number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes, regularly found in patients with acute bacterial meningitis.