Examining CSF with the Hemacytometer (continued) from Cerebrospinal Fluid, presented by MediaLab

Cell counting techniques

Examining CSF with the Hemacytometer (continued)

White cells are less refractile and appear somewhat granular in appearance. In general, white cells will be larger than red cells. The segmented nucleus in neutrophils can be seen on high power. Lymphocytes and monocytes may be more difficult to differentiate in an undiluted, unstained specimen.
Cells are counted in the four corner squares and the center square on both sides of the hemacytometer. The number of cells counted equals the number of cells/microliter.
The ruled area of one side of a hemacytometer is shown on the right, with routine counting squares for red and white cell counts. Each large square is 1 mm wide by 0.1 mm in depth. The area for counting an undiluted specimen is 10 square millimeters, or 5 large squares on each side.

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