All white cells present in a cerebrospinal fluid must be identified.
If more than 10 cells/mm3 are present or there is difficulty identifying the few cells that are present, make a cytospin, a filtration, or a sedimentation preparation, stain with Wright-Giemsa, and perform differential count.
Cytospins made with a cytocentrifuge are preferred since they are easiest to make and interpret, but filtration and sedimentation methods can also be used to prepare a slide for subsequent staining.
