I just thought if you could determine the size of the object in the vial. Then you would have a semi-reliable data point. The thread is interesting, but is lacking info. So since we know that vials are standardized we can determine a very close approximation of the size of the object in question. Then we could convert those measurements into microns. This would tell us if it could have passed through a filter or through a needle, depending on the gauge. Without any other testing available, eliminating possibilities may be the only thing to be done. I am new here, so if this train of thought is not productive to the conversation, then I do apologize.