Examining the urine sediment can provide important clues to your patient’s diagnosis.

Here’s how to do it in 5 easy steps:

1. Collect a fresh urine sample (5 – 10 mL). The fresher the better, as casts may degrade the longer the sample sits out. Transfer the urine to a tube that can be used in your centrifuge. If you have a urine dipstick available, use it to perform a quick urinalysis.
2. Spin the sample in a centrifuge at around 1500 rpm (revolutions per minute) for 3-5 minutes (make sure you balance your sample with a test tube with similar volume)
3.   You should see a pellet at the bottom of the tube. Discard the supernatant (the liquid above the pellet).
4. Gently tap/flick the bottom of the tube to resuspend the pellet at the bottom of the tube in the small volume of urine that is left in the tube. Use a dropper/pipette to place one drop of the resuspended pellet onto your slide.
5. Gently place the coverslip over the drop on the slide. Put the slide on the microscope and start exploring!