Appearance
Cause
Clear
- Normal appearance
Turbid
- Raised WBC count (>200/mm3)
- Raised RBC count (>400/mm3)
Yellow / Orange / Pink
- Xanthochromia: subarachnoid haemorrhage, artifactual red cell lysis
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- High carotenoids ingestion
- Rifampicin therapy
Green
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Purulent CSF
Brown
- Meningeal melanomatosis