How is microscopic urinalysis done?
Microscopic urinalysis is done simply pouring the urine sample into a test tube and centrifuging it (spinning it down in a machine) for a few minutes. The top liquid part (the supernatant) is discarded. The solid part left in the bottom of the test tube (the urine sediment) is mixed with the remaining drop of urine in the test tube and one drop is analyzed under a microscope. First, the sediment is examined through the microscope under low-power to identify what are called casts, crystals, squamous (flat) cells, and other large objects. Examination is then performed through the microscope at high power to further identify any cells, bacteria and clumps of cells or debris called casts.
