Urinary stone disease, or urolithiasis, is the formation of stones within the urinary tract. Stones form when certain substances present in the urine reach a concentration high enough to form crystals.
In simplified form, the process follows a sequence: urinary supersaturation → crystal formation → growth and aggregation → urinary stone.
Formation depends on multiple factors:
The most common are calcium stones, especially calcium oxalate.
There are also:
Composition matters because it can change both treatment and prevention of future recurrences.
Key concept
Stone disease is not just "a stone." In some patients it is the manifestation of an underlying metabolic, infectious, genetic, or anatomical disorder.
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