A NEW BIOCHEMICAL ASSAY IN THE DIAGNOSTIC MANAGEMENT OF NASAL CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID LEAKAGE

A new method for the detection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is described, and is a refinement of the method originally reported by O berascher and Arrer in 1986. Immuno-electrophoretic measurements are p erformed in a two-buffer system, making the test easier to do and prov iding qualitatively better images. Genetic variants of transferrin (wh ich has a general population incidence of 2-4%) can be discriminated f rom false-positive test results in affected families. The test describ ed is recommended as the method of choice for initial screening of sus pected CSF leakage.