title: Cyclic deposition of calcium salts during growth of cholesterol gallstones.
abstract: Some cholesterol gallstones contain darkly pigmented centers or peripheral concentric pigmented bands. We examined the cross-sectional surface of three cholesterol gallstones which contained both central and peripheral pigmented areas with electron-probe microanalysis (EPM) and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDXA) to determine the elemental composition of the pigmented regions. Linear EPM across the cross-sectional surface of the stones demonstrated that most of the pigmented regions of all three stones had high Ca and P signals; the non-pigmented intervening areas had markedly lower or no detectable Ca and P signals. In two of the three stones, high O signals coincided with the high Ca and P signals suggesting that both calcium bilirubinate and calcium phosphate were present in these pigmented areas. EDXA of the central and peripheral pigmented areas of each stone confirmed the presence of a high Ca signal. Our results demonstrate that in some cholesterol gallstones there is cyclic deposition of calcium bilirubinate and other calcium salts.
mesh_terms: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000032:analysis*; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000502:physiology*; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D010758:Phosphorus; D003300:Copper; D002784:Cholesterol; D010100:Oxygen; D002118:Calcium