Detection of subarachnoid haemorrhage with spectrophotometry of cerebrospinal fluid – a comparison of two methods

Objectives: Spectrophotometric absorption curve analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for oxyhaemoglobin and bilirubin is necessary to accurately diagnose subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in patients with typical symptoms but with negative findings on X-ray examinations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of two methods for interpreting absorption curves; one method from the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK-NEQAS) and the other from the national quality assurance programme in Sweden (Equalis). Methods: Consecutive absorbance curves (n=336) were interpreted with two different methods, and their performance was compared to the diagnosis as stated in the patient records. Results: The UK-NEQAS method displayed equal sensitivity to the Equalis method, but the specificity of the UK-NEQAS method was significantly higher than the Equalis method resulting in fewer false positive results. For UK-NEQAS, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 84.6% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.7% were observed, whereas the Equalis method had a PPV of 27.5% and an NPV of 99.7%. Conclusions: The semi-automated method based on the guidelines from UK-NEQAS provides an efficient and correct interpretation of absorbance curves with short turn-around times. We propose using this method for the routine interpretation of CSF spectrophotometric curves.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Detection of subarachnoid haemorrhage with spectrophotometry of cerebrospinal fluid – a comparison of two methods ; volume:60 ; number:7 ; year:2022 ; pages:1053-1057 ; extent:05 ; Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine ; 60, Heft 7 (2022), 1053-1057 (gesamt 05)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Clarin, Marcus ; Petersson, Annika ; Zetterberg, Henrik ; Ekblom, Kim

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2021-1320
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022062015493316416199
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:34 AM CEST