Abstract
Background: The objective of this study was to determine the composition of kidney stone fragments obtained after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).
Methods: Kidney stone fragments from 25 patients with urolithiasis treated with ESWL were submitted for morphological analysis. The composition was determined for all the recovered fragments.
Results: Thirteen patients (52%) had pure stones. The most common type of pure stone was calcium oxalate (61.6%), of which half was the monohydrate type (COM) and half was the dihydrate type (COD). The other pure stones consisted of either uric acid (30.8%) or struvite (7.6%). For mixed stones, the most frequently observed component was COM or COD (50%), followed by a mixture of COD and carbapatite (25.1%).
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the composition of kidney stone fragments recovered after ESWL can be determined. Knowledge of stone composition is fundamental to understand the etiology of lithogenesis.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:403–4.
©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
