Cholesterol Crystals in Urine: Nephrotic Syndrome and Heavy Proteinuria
Cholesterol crystals in urine are an uncommon form of lipiduria and are most important when they appear with heavy protein loss from the kidneys....
Cystine Crystals in Urine: Cystinuria, Kidney Stones, and Genetic Risk
Cystine crystals in urine are an important finding because their classic hexagonal shape strongly points to cystinuria, an inherited disorder that causes excess cystine...
Drug Crystals in Urine: Medication Crystals, Kidney Risk, and Microscopy Findings
Drug crystals in urine are particles formed when a medication or one of its metabolites becomes concentrated enough to precipitate in the urinary tract....
Dysmorphic Red Blood Cells in Urine: Glomerular Hematuria and Kidney Filter Disease
Dysmorphic red blood cells in urine are abnormally shaped RBCs that can point to bleeding from the kidney’s glomeruli—the microscopic filters that normally keep...
Epithelial Cell Casts in Urine: Kidney Tubule Damage and Acute Tubular Injury
Epithelial cell casts in urine are tube-shaped structures containing renal tubular epithelial cells. Because urinary casts form inside kidney tubules, an epithelial cell cast...
Epithelial Cells in Urine Test: Squamous, Transitional, Renal Cells, and Contamination
Epithelial cells in urine are cells shed from surfaces that line the urinary and genital tracts. A small number is common, but the type...
Fatty Casts in Urine: Nephrotic Syndrome, Proteinuria, and Kidney Disease
Fatty casts are urinary casts that contain lipid droplets, lipid-filled cells, or both. They form inside kidney tubules and are classically associated with heavy...
Granular Casts in Urine: Kidney Tubule Injury, Acute Kidney Injury, and Meaning
Granular casts are tube-shaped structures in urine that contain fine or coarse cellular debris. A small number of nonspecific granular casts can appear after...
Hyaline Casts in Urine: Normal, High Levels, Dehydration, and Kidney Meaning
Hyaline casts are clear, nearly transparent protein casts that form inside kidney tubules. Unlike red blood cell, white blood cell, or epithelial casts, hyaline...
Leucine Crystals in Urine: Liver Disease, Metabolic Disorders, and Meaning
Leucine crystals are rare abnormal urine crystals that appear as yellow-brown, round or spherical structures with concentric rings and radial striations. They are usually...
Mixed Cellular Casts in Urine: Kidney Disease, Inflammation, and Microscopy Meaning
Mixed cellular casts are urinary casts that contain more than one type of cell or a mixture of cells and degenerating debris. Because casts...
Mucus Threads in Urine: Normal Finding, High Levels, Infection, and Meaning
Mucus threads in urine are usually a minor microscopy finding, and a small amount can be normal. The urinary tract makes mucus as part...
Parasites in Urine Microscopy: Abnormal Findings, Schistosoma, Trichomonas, and Meaning
A confirmed parasite in urine is an abnormal finding, but not every object that looks parasitic under a microscope represents a true urinary infection....
Red Blood Cell Casts in Urine: Glomerulonephritis, Kidney Inflammation, and Hematuria
Red blood cell casts in urine are an important sign that bleeding is occurring inside the kidney, usually at the level of the glomeruli....
Red Blood Cells in Urine Test: Hematuria, Causes, Microscopy, and Follow-Up
Red blood cells in urine mean that blood has entered the urinary tract somewhere between the kidneys and the urethra. The finding is called...
Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells in Urine: Kidney Tubule Injury and Meaning
Renal tubular epithelial cells in urine can be an important sign of injury to the kidney tubules. These cells normally line the nephron, where...