Abstract

Aim: Urinalysis is an important laboratory exam that gives helpful information for the diagnosis of urinary tract disease.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare automated method results of test strips, microscopic analysis and counts with the manual methods.
Material and Methods: Urine samples (n=275) were analyzed by I-Chem^® Velocity (iQ200^®). White and red blood cells (WBC/RBC) counts by iQ200^® were compared with manual methods (Neubauer and KCell). Leukocyte esterase and hemoglobin detection provided by the test strips were also analyzed.
Results: Leukocyte esterase was positive in 59.6% with 315,800±608,413 WBC/ml and negative in 40.4% with 24,838±34,152 WBC/ml (p<0.001). Hemoglobin was detected in 29.8% of the samples with 1,275,537±7,394,959 RBC/ml and negative in 70.2% with 26,316±46,424 RBC/ml (p=0.019). The iQ200^® detected RBC in 159 samples, being 97.5% isomorphic cells and 2.5% unclassified iQ200^® detected casts in 33 samples, classifying 36.4% as no inclusions and 63.6% with inclusions. Comparison of WBC/ RBC counts between Neubauer and K-cell^® were equivalent (R²=0.87 and 0.75). Comparison of WBC/ RBC counts between iQ200 and manual methods showed higher values to the automation. Conclusion: Automated methods, such as iQ200^® , seems to be a reliable tool for urinalysis in daily clinical practice, reducing the execution time and providing more accuracy. Distinction between isomorphic and dysmorphic RBC, casts and crystals identification still depend on microscopic examination. The use of automated device in urinalysis is a good practice, but it requires careful evaluation, taking into account the population, the volume of the analysis and the availability of skilled professional.