Specimen Requirements

Specimen will be forwarded directly to Pathology Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On nights and weekends, fixative is added by Specimen Processing personnel. Specimen is stored for routine Pathology processing. For urgent cases, page pathologist on call at beeper number 302-441-5997.

Container/Tube: Sterile container

Specimen Volume: Fresh spinal fluid

Forms: Request for Surgical Pathology and Non-Gyn Cytology

Collection Instructions: Unless malignancy is highly suspected, any clinical tests ordered will take precedence over cytological testing. Do not add anything to spinal fluid.
Note: 1. The following specimens will be returned to submitting physician:
A. No requisition form
B. Name on requisition form does not match name on specimen
C. Broken slide that cannot be reconstructed
D. Unlabeled specimen
E. No doctor’s name given
2. Label container with patient’s name, date of collection, physician’s name, hospital identification number (if applicable), initials of person collecting spinal fluid, and order in which tubes were collected.