MECHANISM OF STONE FORMATION
Section snippets
PHYSICAL CONCEPTS
Urolithiasis is a consequence of complex physical processes. The major factors are supersaturation and crystallization, inhibitors, complexors, promotors, and matrix. The sequence of events leading to urinary stoneformation is as follows: saturation → supersaturation → nucleation→crystal growth or aggregation → crystal retention → stone formation
MECHANISM OF FORMATION OF VARIOUS TYPES OF STONES
The various types of urinary stones and their incidence in United States are listed in Table 2. The pattern of urolithiasis shows significant geographic variation. For instance, close to 90% of urinary stones in India are pure calcium oxalate, whereas only 14% of urinary stones are pure calcium oxalate in Israel.8
CONCLUSION
Urolithiasis causes significant morbidity to patients in addition to adding substantially to health care costs. Remarkable advances have been made in understanding urolithiasis during the last 200 years, yet clinicians are far from curing patients of their urinary stone disease. The basis of urolithiasis is crystal formation, retention, and growth. When the urine is supersaturated with a stone-forming substance, it forms crystals in the presence of other favorable factors, namely pH, promotors,
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Address reprint requests to K.C. Balaji, MD, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655
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From Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts