Urine flow cytometry and detection of glomerular hematuria.

BACKGROUND

The UF-100 is a flow cytometer designed for automated cellular urinalysis. In this study, the usefulness of the UF-100 in laboratory investigation into the origin of hematuria was evaluated.

METHODS

Results from flow cytometric urinalysis were used to classify urinary red blood cells (RBCs) according to glomerular and non-glomerular origin and the classification was compared to the patient's clinical diagnosis as the gold standard. In parallel, microscopic sediment analysis was carried out.

RESULTS

A total of 206 urine samples from 129 patients were analyzed (127 from patients with glomerular hematuria, 79 from patients with non-glomerular hematuria). Of these, 136 samples (92 patients) showed overt hematuria (>or=20 RBC/microL). Urine flow cytometry correctly classified 61% (sediment analysis 69%) of urine samples with overt hematuria. If inconclusive results are excluded, the UF-100 correctly diagnosed 85% (sediment analysis 98%) of urine samples with overt hematuria. The UF-100 and microscopic sediment analysis both showed sensitivity of 99% for the detection of glomerular hematuria. The specificity of the UF-100 for the detection of glomerular bleeding was lower (42%) than the specificity of microscopic sediment analysis (93%).

CONCLUSIONS

Owing to its low specificity, the UF-100 showed limited capacity to discriminate glomerular from non-glomerular causes of hematuria in a population with a high incidence of renal disease. Therefore, extensive microscopic urinalysis remains necessary to assess the origin of hematuria.