Urolithiasis

Nephrolithiasis is a multifactorial problem that requires input from several disciplines within the biomedical field. This publication focuses on the main topics of current interest including the basic mechanisms of crystal formation within the renal tubules and the relative roles of supersaturation and of inhibitors and promoters of crystallisation in the stone-forming process. It also includes studies on the molecular basis of the genetic disorders that predispose to stone-formation and the nutritional and pathophysiological processes that lead to an increase in the risk of stone-formation in the population. This is followed by a series of papers comparing the two main theories of stone-formation - the 'Free-Particle Model' and the 'Fixed-Particle Model' - by means of studies on the crystallisation of calcium salts within the renal tubules, on the renal tubular epithelial cell surface and within renal tubular cells. Finally, there are three papers on the clinical management of patients with stone disease including a separate article on paediatric stones, a problem that seems to have been increasing in many western countries over the past three decades.
The publication should be read by all who have an active interest in the causes and management of kidney stone formation, including nephrologists, urologists, clinical biochemists, endocrinologists, nutritionists, molecular geneticists and epidemiologists. It also contains matter of interest to clinical nurse practitioners and general practitioners