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Nechiporenko test
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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The Nechiporenko test is one of the ways to determine an inflammatory disease of the genitourinary and renal systems. Almost all chronic, and especially acute forms of such diseases suggest such a method as the Nechiporenko test.
This method was developed by the outstanding scientist, surgeon, urologist Alexander Zakharovich Nechiporenko. As a doctor, Nechiporenko became famous due to successful operations related to the renal and genitourinary systems.
Almost all his life, Nechiporenko studied oncological diseases of the urinary organs, as well as pyelonephritis. In addition to introducing into clinical practice an effective method for diagnosing formed elements in urine - the Nechiporenko test, Alexander Zakharovich was the first in the history of Soviet medicine to perform a cystectomy (complete removal of a cyst or tumor) in the bladder area with subsequent "blind" suturing of the resection wound.
Why is the Nechiporenko test done?
The purpose of this analysis is simple – to identify possible renal pathologies as quickly and as accurately as possible and to begin effective therapy. Just like the Addis-Kakovsky test, the Nechiporenko method allows to reveal abnormal amounts of white blood cells – leukocytes, erythrocytes and protein compounds in urine, and therefore to diagnose renal pathologies more accurately. The Nechiporenko test allows for a more detailed, compared to the general, standard urine analysis, description of sediment. In a general analytical study, formed elements are often not visible due to turbidity of urine and the proliferation of microbes in it.
The Nechiporenko test is a very simple and accessible method that determines the amount of the most noticeable compounds in a small volume of material – urine.
Sometimes the patient is unable to take tests using other methods due to difficulties with urination. Then a simple analysis - the Nechiporenko test can become the primary one, after general tests, timely, clarifying information for the doctor, and also provide an opportunity to develop a plan for further comprehensive diagnostics.
How is the Nechiporenko test performed?
Material for laboratory tests is taken at any time of the day or night. The standard sample for analysis is the middle portion, usually in the morning. The patient collects the material in a special clean container, having previously performed hygienic procedures. Sometimes, according to indications, urine can be collected with a catheter.
What can the Nechiporenko test indicate?
Just like in other methods, this method has normal limits. Any deviation from them is a signal of a particular disease. If leukocytes "go beyond" the established norm, this indicates pyelonephritis, chronic or acute, it all depends on the number of white blood cells. Erythrocytes exceeding the normal threshold may indicate a serious disease - glomerulonephritis or urinary tract pathology, hematuria.
The Nechiporenko test has been used in Russian medicine for over a hundred years and is a popular method in the clinical practice of foreign doctors. It is a simple, informative analysis that does not require special preparation, and its results are usually ready within one day.