Microscopic exam of urine pt 1 Flashcards
RBCs normal value in urine
0-2 per hpf
How do RBCs look in concentrated urine?
Small and crenated bc hypertonic
How do RBCs look in dilute urine
- Ghost cells = Swollen, lysed, membrane intact
- Don’t count, just note
RBCs confused with
- Yeast
- Oil droplets
- Air bubbles
Hematuria
RBC in urine
Explain how presence or absence of RBCs may not correlate with urine color or blood chemical result
- 1-4 RBC/hpf but chem strip negative
- Chem strip positive but no RBC seen microscopically due to RBC lysis, hemoglobin, or myoglobin
Acetic acid lyses ___ but not ____
- RBCs
- Yeast, WBCs, or oil droplets
Dysmorphic RBCs (cellular protrusions, vary in size, fragmented) big sign of ___
- Glomerular bleeding
- Rarely seen due to strenuous exercise
- 2nd tech review required bc rare and looks like yeast
WBC normal value
0-5 per hpf
WBC size and usual identity
- 12 microns
- PMN
WBCS in hypertonic urine
How they look
Leukocyte esterase reaction
- Shrink
- Do not release granules, may be negative for leukocyte esterase strip test
WBC hyptonic urine
Swell
Glitter cells
- WBCs in hypotonic urine swell, thus granules undergo Brownian movement to cause glittering
- Not pathologically significant
Pyuria
Increased WBCs in urine
Causes of pyuria
- Bacterial infection
- Glomerulonephritis
- Lupus erythematosus
- Interstitial nephritis
- Tumors
- Parasites
- Fungi
Mononuclear cells in urine
- Less common to see
- Lymphs (may resemble RBC), monocytes, macrophages, histocytes
Lymphs seen in urine when
Early stages of renal transplant rejection
What to do with urine that has a lot of mononuclear cells?
Refer to cytology
Eosinophils associated with
- Drug-induced interstitial nephritis (primary reason)
- UTI
- Parasites
- Renal transplant rejection
How to stain for eosinophils in UA
Hansel’s or Wright’s stain
Clinically significant eosinophil value
Eos > 1%
List 3 types of epithelial cells and their sources
- Squamous (urethra/genitalia)
- Transitional (upper urethra)
- Renal tubule (PCT, DCT, Henle, collecting duct aka nephron)