Honors Urinalysis Home
Middle Aged Woman
Case Study
Teenage Boy Case
Study
4. Is it possible to have amorphous from the two major crystal types below? Why or why not? What is in this photomicrograph which indicates it definitely could not be from this patient?
The two classical crystals
represented
here are ammonium biurate (dark, thorny-apple type crystal), and triple
phosphate (clear, coffin-like crystal). They are two crystals which can
exist in alkaline urine; therefore, it is possible that they could be
the cause for the amorphous in the sample. The presence of bacteria
indicates this is definitely not the patient's urine.
A 35 year old woman went to the doctor complaining of fatigue, shortness of breath, and dark urine. Her skin was very pale, and the whites of her eyes were slightly yellow. She reported recently having a sinus infection which was treated with penicillin. Urinalysis results are:
| Color |
dark red/brown |
Protein |
100mg/dL (2+) |
Blood |
large |
| Appearance |
clear |
Glucose |
negative |
Urobilinogen |
12.0 EU |
| Sp.
Gravity |
1.020 |
Ketones |
negative |
Nitrite |
negative |
| pH |
8.0 |
Bilirubin |
negative |
Leukocyte |
negative |
Microscopic
amorphous 2+
hemosiderin granules present
Upon receiving the urinalysis results, the physician orders a blood test for haptoglobin which comes back less than 5 mg/dL (reference range = 26-185 mg/dL).