title: Calcium and calcium magnesium carbonate specimens submitted as urinary tract stones.
abstract: Of 8,129 specimens submitted as urinary stones from 6,095 patients, 67 from 15 patients were predominantly calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate (dolomite) by infrared analysis. Detailed study of 1 man and 4 women who submitted 3 or more such specimens showed that all were of aragonite calcium carbonate crystal form in 2 women and all calcite in the man. All 3 patients had a long history of nephrolithiasis preceding submission of calcium carbonate stones. There was frequent and often painful spontaneous passage of many small stones. Medullary sponge kidney was reported in 2 patients. Specimens submitted by the other 2 women included dolomite and quartz artifacts. Of the other 10 patients 4 had calcite and 1 had aragonite (possibly true stones). Five patients had artifacts with dolomite in 3 and mixed specimens in 2. True calcium carbonate kidney stones and calcium carbonate artifacts may be difficult to distinguish, and dolomite and quartz artifacts may require x-ray diffraction for clear-cut diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Renal Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Gault
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chafe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Longerich
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000737:chemistry*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000032:analysis*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D008274:Magnesium; C028042:calcium magnesium carbonate