81 - Technology assessment of automated urine particle flow cytometry

J.R. Delanghe Recently, urine particle flow cytometry (UFC) has become available as an alternative method in urinalysis. A complete analysis can be carried out with only 800 microliter of sample. The instrument is characterised by a high sensitivity and linearity. UFC is more precise than sediment microscopy. Correlation with counting chamber analysis is excellent. The better analytical performance is the major advantage of the technique. Fast availability of the data is another advantage of the technique. From an economical point of view, introduction of UFC reduces labour costs. Optimal results are obtained when expert systems are used for interpreting the data. The superior analytical quality of UFC should however be accompanied by a growing attention for the pre-analytical care. The largest contribution to the total error undoubtedly occurs during the pre-analytical phase. Combining the diagnostic information of UFC with the information provided by urinary test strips and the dosage of specific urinary proteins will provide the clinician with extra information.