10/31/2025
Thank you for participating in Under the Scope with Octavius! 🔬🐙 This week's answer is...
Triple phosphate crystals! ⚰
Triple phosphate crystals, also known as struvite crystals, are composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate and form in alkaline urine. They can appear in both healthy individuals and those with urinary tract pathology but are classically associated with urease-producing bacterial infections.
Under the scope, triple phosphate crystals appear as colorless, coffin-lid-shaped prisms with well-defined rectangular outlines. When irregularly shaped, they occasionally form feathery or fern-like aggregates. They are non-birefringent under polarized light.