Collection and Evaluation of Normal Exfoliated Urinary Bladder Cells in Man Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Normal exfoliated urinary bladder cells were collected from midstream urine samples from 21 male patients. Procedures for urine filtration using Millipore® filters of Nuclepore® filters, cell fixation and preparation for scanning electron microscopy investigation were developed. Correlations were made between the surface morphology of exfoliated cells and that of biopsies from different anatomical regions of the urinary bladder. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of exfoliated normal urinary bladder cells proved to be a more sensitive method for discovering cellular surface details than light microscopy. This information forms the basis for further SEM studies of cell surface alterations due to urothelial diseases.