The power of desktop scanning electron microscopy with elemental analysis for analyzing urinary stones. 2023

A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
Laboratory of Renal Lithiasis Research, University Institute of Health Science Research (IUNICS-IdISBa), University of Balearic Islands, Ctra. de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain. antonia.costa@uib.es.

The aim of this paper is to present a protocol for the routine morphocompositional study of kidney stones in a clinical setting, and to demonstrate that it is a simple and useful approach that can reliably determine the etiology of all types of kidney stones. Our routine study of kidney stones consists of a combination of stereoscopic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The usefulness of such a procedure is demonstrated by its application to several illustrating examples. The protocol applied here is reliable and fast, and does not require multiple infrared spectroscopic analyses for most non-homogeneous samples. It also provides the identification of components that are present in very small proportions, the characteristics of internal and external structures, and information about areas with biological structures, such as renal tubules. It should be noted that results are obtained in a relatively short time and with high reliability. The detailed morphocompositional study of a urinary calculus is essential for establishing the diagnosis and etiology and for initiating the treatment of a patient with renal lithiasis, because there is a relationship between the specific characteristics of a stone and the specific etiology of the disease. The increasing number of treatments available for patients with different types of renal calculi makes improvements in diagnosis and determination of stone etiology, such as the procedure described here, more important now than ever.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007669 Kidney Calculi Stones in the KIDNEY, usually formed in the urine-collecting area of the kidney (KIDNEY PELVIS). Their sizes vary and most contains CALCIUM OXALATE. Kidney Stones,Renal Calculi,Nephrolith,Renal Calculus,Calculi, Kidney,Calculi, Renal,Calculus, Kidney,Calculus, Renal,Kidney Calculus,Kidney Stone,Stone, Kidney,Stones, Kidney
D008855 Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Microscopy in which the object is examined directly by an electron beam scanning the specimen point-by-point. The image is constructed by detecting the products of specimen interactions that are projected above the plane of the sample, such as backscattered electrons. Although SCANNING TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY also scans the specimen point by point with the electron beam, the image is constructed by detecting the electrons, or their interaction products that are transmitted through the sample plane, so that is a form of TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. Scanning Electron Microscopy,Electron Scanning Microscopy,Electron Microscopies, Scanning,Electron Microscopy, Scanning,Electron Scanning Microscopies,Microscopies, Electron Scanning,Microscopies, Scanning Electron,Microscopy, Electron Scanning,Microscopy, Scanning Electron,Scanning Electron Microscopies,Scanning Microscopies, Electron,Scanning Microscopy, Electron
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014545 Urinary Calculi Low-density crystals or stones in any part of the URINARY TRACT. Their chemical compositions often include CALCIUM OXALATE, magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite), CYSTINE, or URIC ACID. Urinary Stones,Urinary Tract Stones,Calculi, Urinary,Calculus, Urinary,Stone, Urinary,Stone, Urinary Tract,Stones, Urinary,Stones, Urinary Tract,Urinary Calculus,Urinary Stone,Urinary Tract Stone
D015203 Reproducibility of Results The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results. Reliability and Validity,Reliability of Result,Reproducibility Of Result,Reproducibility of Finding,Validity of Result,Validity of Results,Face Validity,Reliability (Epidemiology),Reliability of Results,Reproducibility of Findings,Test-Retest Reliability,Validity (Epidemiology),Finding Reproducibilities,Finding Reproducibility,Of Result, Reproducibility,Of Results, Reproducibility,Reliabilities, Test-Retest,Reliability, Test-Retest,Result Reliabilities,Result Reliability,Result Validities,Result Validity,Result, Reproducibility Of,Results, Reproducibility Of,Test Retest Reliability,Validity and Reliability,Validity, Face
D052878 Urolithiasis Formation of stones in any part of the URINARY TRACT, usually in the KIDNEY; URINARY BLADDER; or the URETER. Urinary Lithiasis,Lithiasis, Urinary

Related Publications

A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
May 2019, Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
January 1975, Zeitschrift fur Urologie und Nephrologie,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
January 1986, Scanning electron microscopy,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
January 1983, Scanning electron microscopy,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
August 1976, Clinical nephrology,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
August 1987, Journal of biomedical materials research,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
July 1984, The Journal of urology,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
December 2021, Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania),
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
January 1985, Scanning electron microscopy,
A Costa-Bauzá, and F Grases, and F Julià
September 1993, Scanning microscopy,
Copied contents to your clipboard!