Quantitative evaluation of urinalysis test strips

Area of Science:

• Clinical chemistry
• Urinalysis
• Diagnostic technology

Background:

• Urine test strips traditionally provide categorical results.
• Automated readers now offer quantitative data, potentially enhancing urinalysis.
• This study explores quantitative reflectance data's role alongside flow cytometry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate quantitative urine test strip readers as a complement to flow cytometry.
• To compare reflectance readings with quantitative measurements of urinary glucose and microalbumin.

Main Methods:

• Compared URISYS 2400 quantitative reflectance data with UF-100 and biochemical data.
• Analyzed 436 nonpathologic and pathologic urine samples.
• Assessed reproducibility and agreement between methods.

Main Results:

• Good reproducibility for protein, leukocyte esterase, hemoglobin, and glucose reflectance signals.
• Fair agreement between UF-100 and test strip data for erythrocytes/hemoglobin and leukocytes/leukocyte esterase.
• High correlations observed between biochemical and test strip data for protein/albumin and glucose.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative hemoglobin and leukocyte esterase reflectance data complement flow cytometry.
• Quantitative urine test strip data can supplement biochemical analyses for glucose and albumin.
• Automated readers enhance the diagnostic utility of urine test strips.