Types of Urinary-Casts
Epithelial casts are hyaline casts with adhering cells that have been shed from the tubules, though sometimes these cells form hollow casts of themselves (true epithelial casts).. They are present in passive congestion, in jaundice, as the result of irritants, and especially in acute nephritis.
Fatty casts appear in pronounced degenerative changes in the epithelial cells of the kidney tubules, as in fatty de¬generation of the kidney and in chronic parenchymatous nephritis.
Blood casts appear when there has been some process, usu¬ally acute, which causes hemorrhage in the kidney, as in cancer, acute congestion, embolism or cystic disease of the kidney, kidney stone and acute nephritis. In case of hematuria (blood in the urine), blood casts establish the kidneys as the source of the blood.
Pus casts are not often seen, but may be found in abscess of the kidney and pyelonephritis.
Amy’oid or waxy casts, which may be of considerable size, are present in urine from kidneys chronically inflamed (chronic nephritis).
Cylindroids are thinner and often flatter than casts. Their main substance is mucus. They have no great significance, at most indicating irritation of the kidneys.