squamous epithelial cells in urine

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Introduction

squamous epithelial cells are large, polygonal cells with small round nuclei
they tend to fold on themselves & sometimes are confused with casts
their large size allows them to be easily distinguished from casts Clinical signifiance:
common in voided or catheterized samples due to urethral or vaginal contamination

↑ Maher PJ, Jablonowski KD, Richardson LD. Squamous epithelial cell presence reduces accuracy of urinalysis for prediction of positive urine cultures. Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Jul;38(7):1384-1388. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31843330
↑ Mohr NM, Harland KK, Crabb V et al Urinary Squamous Epithelial Cells Do Not Accurately Predict Urine Culture Contamination, but May Predict Urinalysis Performance in Predicting Bacteriuria. Acad Emerg Med. 2016 Mar;23(3):323-30. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26782662 Free article.
↑ MedlinePlus: Epithelial Cells in Urine https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/epithelial-cells-in-urine/