Quick Review Cards for Medical Laboratory Science

Synovial Fluid

Urinalysis and Body

Fluids Review 519

CRYSTAL

NORMAL NONINFLAMMATORY INFLAMMATORY INFECTIOUS INDUCED HEMORRHAGIC

Etiology

Color

Clarity

Viscosity

WBCs/μL*

Polys

Other

*Considerable overlap among disorders. Differential is more helpful for diagnosis.

Trauma, coagula-

tion abnormality

Pink, red,

red-brown

Cloudy

Poor

50–10,000

<50%

Degenerative joint

disease

Yellow

Clear

Good

<2,000

<30%

Pale yellow to

colorless

Clear

Good

<200

<25%

Gout, pseudogout

Yellow, white

Cloudy, milky

Poor

500–200,000

<90%

Crystals

Rheumatoid

arthritis, lupus

erythematosus,

gout, pseudogout

Yellow

Cloudy, turbid

Poor

2,000–100,000

>50%

Bacterial infection

Yellow-green

Cloudy, turbid

Poor

50,000–200,000

>90%

Pos culture

(S. aureus,

N. gonorrhoeae

most common)