Siderophages are activated, tissue-resident macrophages that contain hemosiderin from disintegrated or phagocytosed erythrocytes.
Clinical relevance
In neurosurgery, siderophages play a diagnostic role in cerebrospinal fluid analysis when Subarachnoid hemorrhage is suspected. The presence of siderophages in the Cerebrospinal fluid is a reliable sign of prior bleeding into the subarachnoid space[^1].
Cerebrospinal fluid analysis
Siderophages can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid from the 4th day onward in cases of traumatic or aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and remain detectable in the cerebrospinal fluid for up to 120 days in total[^1] [^2].
