Laboratory Examination of Body Fluids

The study of body fluids other than blood and urine (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid, transudates, exudates, chylous effusions, pseudochylous effusions, and synovial fluid) requires invasive procedures to obtain the fluid, and therefore such collections are performed only in specific instances in order to confirm a diagnosis. Because the collection of such fluids is often time-sensitive and because repeat collection is often challenging, an understanding of the information provided by analysis of the fluids is important.