Casts form in the distal tubules and collecting ducts when either Tamm-Horsfall mucoprotein or fibrin agglutinate and become molded into cylindrical structures within the tubular lumen. Cells and various substances, when present in the tubule, are incorporated into…
I had a breakthrough with my iPhone 3G camera. I’ve tried unsuccessfully several times in the past to take pictures of urine microscopy fields through the lens of the microscope and had just about given up until I…
Urinary sediment microscopy is a diagnostic technique designed to acquire 2-dimensional images of structures present in a slide. However, 2-dimensional views may lack sufficient contrast to allow for optimal visualization. One way to enhance the images and create…
Although it remains a polarizing topic, looking at urine has come a long way since the dark ages before wide availability of renal biopsy. Not just a passing phase, modern urine microscopy allows the bright nephrologist to readily…
The German Louis G.F. Thomas (1838 —1907) described “cylindroids” (Figure 1) in 1870 to indicate elongated elements partly similar to casts [1], the nature of which is still unclear at present . There is no consensus on the…
Routine work with urine microscopy can lead to plenty of “surprises.” Sometimes not only the microscopic evaluation presents something new and unique, but the findings can be observed directly by looking at the sample. The original post on…
Red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine are normally 7-8 µm in diameter, circular or slightly oval and biconcave in appearance. They may appear crenated, with symmetric spiked membrane contour in hypertonic urine, or spherical, with near loss…
The influence of urine concentration on the cells we observe during urine microscopy is well known. Concentrated urine specimens with a high urine specific gravity (SG) preserve nucleated cellular morphology the best, however, some cellular structures (e.g.: erythrocytes)…
The thickness of the fluid layer examined by urinary microscopy is determined by the volume of resuspended sediment put on the glass slide and the size of the coverslip. Using 13-15ul of sediment and coverslips of 18x18mm2 as…
“What am I looking at? ” Phagocytosis and particle internalization by cells in the urine is not common, but of clinical interest when it occurs.Phagocytosis/particle internalization can be observed in urine microscopy by the usual culprits: professional phagocytes…
