Unexpected Urine Crystals and Hematuria

Unexpected urine crystals and hematuria.

An otherwise healthy 6-year-old boy presented to the emergency department after falling out of bed and sustaining a testicular injury. The examination and evaluation, including urinalysis (revealing hematuria) and ultrasound, were suggestive of minor injury but were otherwise unremarkable. The patient was started on amoxicillin and had orders for a repeat urinalysis in a week. The microscopy re...

Starburst crystals in urine.

A 7-month-old boy was brought to the emergency department for persistent cough and difficulty in breathing. On the second day of admission, his urine was analyzed to rule out urinary tract infection. Chemical analysis of the sample was unremarkable and sediment microscopy did not show any abnormalities except for dense dark crystals (Fig. 1). Individual crystals were needle shaped, while aggreg...

Standardization of Diagnostic Biomarker Concentrations in Urine: The Hematuria Caveat

Sensitive and specific urinary biomarkers can improve patient outcomes in many diseases through informing early diagnosis. Unfortunately, to date, the accuracy and translation of diagnostic urinary biomarkers into clinical practice has been disappointing. We believe this may be due to inappropriate standardization of diagnostic urinary biomarkers. Our objective was therefore to characterize the...

Routine urine cytology has no role in hematuria investigations.

PURPOSE Urine cytology has been a long-standing first line investigation for hematuria and is recommended in current major guidelines. We determined the contribution of urine cytology in hematuria investigations and its cost implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were prospectively collected for 2,778 consecutive patients investigated for hematuria at a United Kingdom teaching hospital from...

Laboratory evaluation of discolored urine. When is it hematuria?