II. Preparation: Sample
- Obtain fresh urine sample
- Centrifuge 10-15 ml at 1500 to 3000 rpm for 5 minutes
- Decant supernatant (pour out) and resuspend remainder of urine in small amount of urine
- Place 1 drop of urine on slide and apply cover slip and observe under low power and high power field (hpf)
III. Exam
- Urine Cells
- Urine White Blood Cells
- Normal <2/hpf in men and <5/hpf in women
- Neutrophils are the most common WBC identified
- Urine Red Blood Cells
- Normal <3/hpf in adults (<5/hpf in children)
- RBCs appear as small, round and colorless cells ("ghost cells")
- Dysmorphic RBCs (blebs, protrusions, spiked cells) suggest glomerular disease
- Squamous Epithelial cells
- Transitional epithelial cells are normally present
- Squamous epithelial cells >5/hpf suggest contamination
- Renal tubule epithelial cells suggest renal disease
- Urine White Blood Cells
-
Bacteria
- Five Bacteria per hpf predicts positive Urine Culture with >100,000 CFU/ml
- Diagnostic for Urinary Tract Infection
-
Urine Crystals
- See Urine Crystals
-
Urine Casts
- See Urinary Cast
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Related Studies
Concepts | Laboratory Procedure (T059) |
SnomedCT | 393892003, 392936005, 127800008 |
CPT | 81015 |
LNC | LP21253-7 |
English | microscopic urinalysis, urinalysis microscopic, urine microscopy, Microscopy of urine, Urine Microscopy, Microscopic examination of urine specimen, Urine microscopy (procedure), Urine microscopy, Microscopic urinalysis (procedure), Microscopic urinalysis |
Spanish | examen microscópico de espécimen de orina, análisis de orina microscópico (procedimiento), análisis de orina microscópico |