Comparison of the Diagnostic Performance of 3 Automated Urine Particle Analyzers with Manual Microscopy

• Comparison of the Diagnostic Performance of 3 Automated Urine Particle Analyzers with Manual Microscopy

AUTHOR(S)

Naomi ISHIBASHI, Ritsuko YOSHIZAWA, Yoko FUJII, Yu AKAISHI, Kanako OBATA, and Kuniko MABUCHI

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ohara Healthcare Foundation Kurashiki Central Hospital

SUMMARY

We compared the performance of three models of automated urine particle analyzers with that of manual microscopy, the U-SCANNER II (TOYOBO CO., LTD., image processing) currently used in our hospital, the Atellica UAS800 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics K.K., image processing), and the UF-5000 (Sysmex Corporation, flow cytometry). Agreement with manual microscopy of the results obtained with the 3 analyzers was reasonably good except in the case of casts, for which microscopic examination by medical technologists and cross-checking with other parameters was needed. Image processing could contribute to improved detection as it enabled observation of clear images by medical technologists. However, it was affected by the level of expertise of the technologist. Flow cytometry was superior in detecting blood cells and bacteria. The time required for analysis varied depending on the levels of different elements present in the sample. We can save medical technologist labor, make the testing more efficient, and ensure good quality testing by adopting logical analysis strategies that exploit the advantageous features of different analyzers.

KEY WORDS

Fully automated urine particle analyzer, UF-5000, Atellica UAS800, U-SCANNER II, Urine sediment

NOTE(S)

This article is translated and republished from Japanese Journal of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Vol. 77, No. 8, August 2020, with the permission of the publisher.