Purpose

Body fluids are submitted to the lab for analysis to ascertain the presence of infection, malignancy or a variety of disease states. Pleural and pericardial fluid may be submitted to differentiate chylous effusion from pseudochylous effusion. Differentiation may be determined by cholesterol levels and the potential presence of cholesterol crystals with pseudochylous effusion containing higher cholesterol levels. Synovial (collected from an arthrocentesis) fluid is submitted to help in the diagnosis of joint diseases such as gout. Examination of synovial fluid may differentiate infective arthritis from crystal-induced synovitis or if hemarthrosis is present.

_{Source: Strasinger, Susan King and Marjorie Schaub Di Lorenzo (2001). URINALYSIS and BODY FLUIDS (4^th ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. Pg 182-1185.}