[Basic principles and application of cerebrospinal fluid immunoelectrophoresis].

The basic principles, prerequisites, and limitations of the immunoelectrophoresis of the cerebrospinal fluid are discussed. Major emphasis has been placed on the characteristics of normal and pathological immunoelectropherograms of the liquor cerebrospinalis as well as on the results of studies of inflammatory and neuroimmunological diseases. The detection of a barrier profile, the method of determining special qualitative alterations of immunoglobulins of the liquor cerebrospinalis due to neuroimmunological diseases, and additional applications are discussed in detail. The procedure has been critically reviewed because the results obtained are, for the most part, of a general and nonspecific character and the method cannot be standardized adequately and also does not yield sufficient quantitative data. The advantages (differentiated qualitative changes) and disadvantages (technique troubles) are pointed out.