Chemical measurement of calcium oxalate crystalluria: results in various causes of calcium urolithiasis.

Calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate crystalluria have been measured chemically in 1,173 urine samples whose chemical compositions were also analysed. The importance of urinary oxalate as a determinant for calcium oxalate crystalluria was confirmed. Significant concentrations of calcium oxalate crystals may be present in urine even though the crystals are too small for detection by light microscopy or by many particle-counting methods. Calcium phosphate crystals in urine always contain a small proportion of calcium oxalate. Results in various clinical situations are reviewed.