Identification of urinary stone and sediment crystals by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis.

A procedure based on scanning electron microscopic techniques is described for the identification of crystals in urinary sediments and stones. The crystals are identified by their morphology and elemental composition using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis. The procedure has a number of advantages over conventional methods. It is easy to use. It is non-destructive so that both the exterior and interior of the same stone can be separately analyzed. It is the only technique in which information about spatial relationships between various crystals in a stone can be obtained easily. Scanning electron microscopic techniques can detect minor components, and analysis of a wide variety of materials ranging from amorphous substances to microcrystals to macroscopic stones is possible.