Lumbar puncture on a patient with suspected meningitis

You perform lumbar puncture on a patient with suspected meningitis. Red blood cells (RBCs) are found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). You compare the RBC counts in the first and last tubes to help differentiate the cause of the RBCs. 

If the first and last tubes have the same number of RBCs, and, after being centrifuged, the samples have the appearance of the tube on the right in the picture above, the most likely diagnosis is which of the following?

• subarachnoid hemorrhage
• traumatic tap
• fungal meningitis
• subdural hematoma
• epidural hematoma

This question appears in Med-Challenger Pediatric Medicine Exam Review with CME

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