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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
A urine analyzer is a laboratory or point-of-care instrument that reads urine test results automatically instead of leaving them to the eye. Most small analyzers are strip readers that measure the colour change on a urine dipstick. A separate, larger class examines the particles in the sample (the sediment). This page explains how strip readers work, how the instrument classes differ, and which setup and handling points manufacturers state in their own manuals. Who uses them: clinical laboratory staff, clinic and veterinary-practice staff, and core-facility users who run urinalysis.
What a urine analyzer is
A urine analyzer (urinalysis analyzer) automates part of urinalysis. In the common strip-reader design, a reagent strip is dipped in urine, and the instrument measures how the test pads change colour. Both manuals reviewed for this page give the same reason for automation: it removes error sources of visual reading, such as variable lighting, differences in how people match colours, differing reaction timing and clerical errors (IDEXX VetLab UA Analyzer Operator’s Guide; Urano Diagnostics Urine Chemistry Analyzer User Manual). For the strips themselves and how to read a result by eye, see urine test strips.
How a strip reader works
Both manuals describe a reflectance photometer. The IDEXX VetLab UA Analyzer manual lays out the measurement chain in four steps:
- An LED shines light of a defined wavelength onto a test pad, and a phototransistor above the pad picks up the reflected light.
- The analog signal is converted into a frequency value.
- A microprocessor converts that value to a relative reflectance, referenced to a calibration standard.
- The reflectance is compared with range limits programmed for each parameter, which produces a semi-quantitative result.
In that instrument, the operator places the strip on the tray and starts the measurement. After a 45-second incubation the analyzer reads a built-in gray reference pad, used to account for temperature and aging effects on the optical system, and then reads each test pad. Results take about 80 seconds.
The Urano Diagnostics analyzer works from an image instead of a single light point. The strip is lit with white light, a sensor captures the reflected light, the red, green and blue signals are digitized, and image-analysis software locates the strip and pads and derives each parameter value. It is semi-automatic: the operator dips the strip and places it on the loading plate.
Types of urine analyzer
| Type | What it measures | Key difference | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| LED reflectance strip reader (example: IDEXX VetLab UA) | Strip pads: pH, leukocytes, protein, glucose, ketones, urobilinogen, bilirubin, blood/hemoglobin. Nitrite and specific gravity are not evaluated by the analyzer. | Single-pass reflectance per pad; reads only its own brand of strips; veterinary use | IDEXX Operator’s Guide 06-0019209-00 (2024) |
| Image-based (RGB) strip reader (example: Urano Diagnostics) | Strip pads, including specific gravity, nitrite, microalbumin and creatinine on the strips it supports; colour and turbidity are entered by the operator from visual observation | Digitized image analysed in software; operator selects the strip type | Urano User Manual OM(V2) 2014.01 |
| Sediment analyzer, flow cytometry (examples named: Sysmex UF-1000i, UX-2000) | Particles in urine sediment such as cells, casts and bacteria | Counts and characterises particles, not strip chemistry | MLO, “Automated urinalysis in the clinical lab” |
| Sediment analyzer, digital imaging (cuvette-based or flow cell; examples named: UriSed, Roche cobas u701, Beckman Coulter iQ200) | Particles in urine sediment, imaged | Image-based classification; two designs, cuvette and flow cell | MLO, as above |
The MLO article notes that abnormal automated sediment findings still call for manual microscopy by experienced laboratorians, and that automated analyzers are especially useful for ruling out pathological particles. Combined chemistry-plus-sediment platforms also exist (the article names the Sysmex UX-2000).
Specifications that matter
The values below come from two specific instruments and are examples, not typical figures for the whole class.
| Specification | IDEXX VetLab UA | Urano Diagnostics analyzer |
|---|---|---|
| Detection principle | Reflectance photometer, LED and phototransistor | Reflectance photometer, white light and RGB image analysis (470/530/626 nm) |
| Throughput | About 80 s per strip | 40-50 tests/h; 120/h in Quick mode |
| Operating environment | Optimum 20-26 °C, 30-60% relative humidity | 2-30 °C, 10-70% relative humidity |
| Sample memory | Not stated in the sections reviewed | 2,000 samples |
How to choose: what the manuals themselves make you check
No standard ranks urine analyzers, so this section lists only compatibility points the manufacturers state.
- Strip compatibility. The IDEXX analyzer reads only IDEXX UA Strips. The Urano analyzer needs the operator to select the strip type, and its manual warns that using the wrong reagent strip gives incorrect results.
- Parameters read. Check which pads the analyzer actually evaluates. For example, IDEXX states that nitrite and specific gravity are not evaluated.
- Inputs the operator still supplies. On the Urano analyzer, colour and turbidity are entered from visual observation.
- Installation conditions. IDEXX specifies indoor use on a stable, level surface away from heat, sunlight, humidity and vibration; Urano gives its own temperature and humidity range.
- Regulatory status of the test. Whether a strip-plus-reader combination counts as waived depends on the manufacturer’s stated reading method; see CLIA-waived test and point-of-care testing.
Safe use and handling basics
- Treat urine as a potential biohazard. The Urano manual calls for personal protective equipment and universal precautions.
- Do not use bent strips and blot excess urine from the strip, as the Urano manual instructs.
- Clean the instrument as the manufacturer directs (Urano specifies daily cleaning and prohibits benzene or thinner; IDEXX has a dedicated cleaning and maintenance chapter).
- Run the built-in checks. The Urano System Check tests optical aging; IDEXX supplies calibration strips and reads an internal gray reference pad each run.
Common mistakes
- Using a strip brand or type the analyzer was not built for.
- Assuming the instrument reports every strip pad; some pads are not evaluated by the analyzer.
- Forgetting the operator-entered fields (colour, turbidity) on instruments that require them.
- Placing the instrument where heat, sunlight, humidity or vibration affect it.
- Treating a semi-quantitative strip result as a sediment finding; sediment questions belong to the sediment analyzer class and manual microscopy.
FAQ
Is a urine analyzer the same as a urinalysis test?
No. Urinalysis is the test; the analyzer is the instrument that reads some or all of it. See in vitro diagnostics for the product category.
What does a strip-reader urine analyzer measure?
The colour change on reagent pads. Depending on the model and strip, this includes pH, leukocytes, protein, glucose, ketones, urobilinogen, bilirubin and blood; some strips add specific gravity, nitrite, microalbumin or creatinine, and not every analyzer evaluates every pad.
Are the results exact numbers?
IDEXX describes its output as semi-quantitative: reflectance is compared with programmed range limits for each parameter.
Does it replace microscopy?
Strip readers do not examine sediment. Even automated sediment analyzers are followed by manual microscopy for abnormal findings, per MLO.
Sources
- IDEXX, IDEXX VetLab UA Analyzer Operator’s Guide, 06-0019209-00 (2024), idexx.com; read 2026-11-08.
- Urano Diagnostics, Urine Chemistry Analyzer User Manual, OM(V2) 2014.01, uranodiagnostics.com; read 2026-11-08.
- Medical Laboratory Observer, “Automated urinalysis in the clinical lab”, mlo-online.com; read 2026-11-08.
