The Effect of Seed Crystals on Calcium Oxalate Nucleation

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
It has been well documented that renal stones are often nonhomogeneous in composition1,2. The small areas of additional mineral phases often found have led to theories invoking epitaxy as an important factor in stone formation. Both Coe et al. and Pak et al. have demonstrated an increase in calcium oxalate heterogeneous nucleation by sodium acid urate seed crystals3,4,5. Meyer et al. have shown an increase in calcium oxalate nucleation by seed crystals of hydroxyapatite6. All these studies have been performed with solution-depletion techniques. We have chosen to study the heterogeneous nucleation of calcium oxalate by examining actual calcium oxalate particle production. This approach allowed us to study not only changes in particle production, but also shifts in particle size distribution.