Case Study: Dark Urine after Strep Throat Answers
3.
The cell that is shown is a squamous epithelial cell. This cell
is not pathological and has a reference range of 0-5/hpf.
Squamous epithelial cells appear in the urine if the patient does
not clean properly prior to collection. Improper cleansing can
cause a squamous epithelial cell level higher than the reference range;
however, squamous cells are only pathological if found in sheets in the
urine which could indicate squamous cell carcinoma. However, this cancer is very
rare.
In order to avoid squamous
cells in the urine, the patient should clean with soap and water before
urinating then collect a mid-stream sample. This means that the
patient should void a little bit into the toilet then collect the rest
in the provided sample cup. This ensures that the urine that is
collected is from the bladder and is not contaminated or contain
formed elements that are not indicative of disease.
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