Quantitative Microchemical and Spectrographic Data on Renal Calculi and Their Relation to Infection

Abstract

A comparative study of the chemical constitution of renal calculi was made and the findings were correlated with the presence or absence of infection and the type of infection. Quantitative chemical analysis of 47 human urinary calculi revealed 78% to be of the Ca oxalate-phosphate type; 16% contained Mg as a significant component, either alone or in combination with a Ca phosphate, and 6% were predominantly uric acid. Small amts. of N of an unidentified source are consistently found and the % of this N is unrelated to the wt. of the calculus. Quantitative spectrochemical analyses made on 1 mg. samples of the stones verify the principal findings of the chemical analyses and, in addition, show the occasional presence in trace amts. of other common elements, such as, Pb, Cu, Mn, Ag, Bi and Na. Infection was more frequently associated with magnesium ammonium phosphate than with calcium oxalate-phosphate calculi. No relationship was found between the type of infection and the chemical constitution of the renal calculi analyzed. In selected cases, no vit. A deficiency was found.