[Cytopathology of cerebrospinal fluid]

Cytological examination of cerebrospinal fluid provides extremely useful informations and contributes to the diagnosis of infection, inflammation or neoplasia. Reliable technical procedures and knowledge of the clinical data are mandatory. Cytological features are described. Current cytodiagnostic dilemmas and pittfalls are reviewed including interpretation of cell clusters, lymphocytic cell population and cellular modifications due to sampling from ventriculoperitoneal shunts.