Hemiacidrin: a useful component in the treatment of infectious renal stones.

Experimental irrigation of 15 infectious renal stones with hemiacidrin resulted in complete dissolution of 11 stones within 5 days. Three of the undissolved stones had a calcium oxalate (CaOx) content of more than 10%. Stones containing calcium phosphate (CaP) and magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) and weighing less than 500 mg were most easily dissolved. Twenty-five stones placed in 10 ml of hemiacidrin resulted in complete dissolution of 13 and partial dissolution of 11. Even this experiment showed that the CaOx content was of importance for the outcome of hemiacidrin treatment. After treatment the MAP and CaP fractions had decreased and CaOx increased. In 36 clinical irrigations of residual concrements of known chemical composition, 5 resulted in total stone dissolution and 21 in a reduced stone volume, whereas the result was inconclusive in 3. Seven stones were not affected by the treatment, these stones were usually composed of CaP and CaOx. There was a good correlation between the dissolution test and the clinical response to hemiacidrin treatment. Based on these findings it is suggested that hemiacidrin might be a useful complement to the modern techniques of stone fragmentation such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and percutaneous surgery, at least for infectious stones with a CaOx content of less than 10%.