A simple technique for assessing the propensity for crystallization of calcium oxalate and brushite in urine from the increment in oxalate or calcium necessary to elicit precipitation.

In an effort to develop a simple and reliable method with which to assess the propensity for spontaneous nucleation of calcium oxalate and brushite in urine, the permissible increment of oxalate and calcium was calculated. This represented the additional amount of oxalate or calcium that could be added to urine in three hours before spontaneous precipitation of calcium oxalate or brushite was initiated. The permissible increment of oxalate inversely correlated (P less than 0.001) with the formation-product ratio-activity-product ratio discriminant score of calcium oxalate, which was previously shown to reflect a quantitative measure of the likelihood for spontaneous nucleation. Similarly, the permissible increment of calcium inversely correlated (P less than 0.001) with the formation-product ratio-activity-product ratio discriminant score of brushite. The permissible increments in oxalate and calcium were significantly lower (P less than 0.001) in patients with renal stones than in control subjects. Moreover, treatment with thiazides, allopurinol, sodium cellulose phosphate, orthophosphate, and diphosphonate significantly raised the permissible increment of oxalate in patients with stones. Thus, the permissible increment was reliable in discriminating "stone-forming" from control urine and in assessing response to treatment.