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Urinalysis and Other Body Fluids

Urine collection, physical, chemical, and microscopic examination, renal disease patterns, and other body fluids.

Topics
13
Sections
9
Sources checked
Aug 29 – Sep 7, 2026

Urine Formation

  1. Nephron Structure and Urine FormationStart here

    Filtration, reabsorption, and secretion connect nephron structure with urine findings.

Specimen Collection and Handling

  1. Specimen Handling and Acceptability

    A urine specimen is suitable for testing only when its collection, labeling, storage, and preservation fit the tests ordered.

  2. Urine Specimen Types

    Routine, timed, and midstream urine collections serve distinct purposes and have different sources of error.

  3. Specialized and Forensic Collections

    Prostatitis localization and federal workplace drug testing require distinct collection and interpretation procedures.

Physical Examination

  1. Color, Clarity, and Odor

    Urine color reflects concentration and pigments, clarity reflects suspended material, and odor can accompany ketones, inborn errors of metabolism, or bacterial decomposition.

  2. Specific Gravity and Osmolality

    Specific gravity and osmolality assess different properties of urine concentration, which explains why their results may disagree.

Chemical Examination

  1. Urine Reagent-Strip Chemistry and Confirmatory Testing

    How to read urine reagent strips, recognize interference, and choose follow-up tests using the product's instructions and related laboratory findings.

Microscopic Examination

  1. Urine Microscopy: Cells, Casts, Crystals, and ArtifactsUpdated

    Standardized urine microscopy connects cells, casts, crystals, microorganisms, and artifacts with specimen quality and laboratory interpretation.

Renal Physiology and Disease States

  1. Renal Physiology, Function Testing, and Disease Patterns

    Nephron physiology and renal testing explain how urine findings support localization of glomerular, tubular, interstitial, and metabolic disorders.

Body Fluid Analysis

  1. Body Fluid Cell Counts and Cerebrospinal FluidUpdated

    Manual and automated body-fluid cell counts, cytocentrifuge differentials, and cerebrospinal-fluid findings require specimen-specific methods and integrated interpretation.

  2. Synovial and Serous Fluid Analysis

    Synovial and serous fluid interpretation depends on specimen handling, cell patterns, crystal findings, and fluid-specific decision limits.

Reproductive Fluids

  1. Amniotic Fluid and Semen Analysis

    Amniotic fluid testing depends on the clinical question and specimen route, while semen analysis depends on complete collection, controlled timing, and standardized WHO methods.

Fecal Analysis

  1. Fecal Analysis

    Stool collection, appearance, electrolytes, microscopy, inflammatory markers, occult-blood methods, fecal fat, and pancreatic elastase support the laboratory evaluation of diarrhea, bleeding, and malabsorption.