Crystalluria

Abstract

Crystalluria is a marker of urine supersaturation with substances deriving from metabolic disorders, inherited diseases or drugs. The investigation of crystalluria must be done according to a protocol which includes the delivery to the laboratory of a proper urine sample, the use of a microscope equipped with polarized light, the accurate knowledge of urine pH, and a comprehensive examination of the crystals, which is based on their identification, quantification and size measurement. For unusual crystals, infrared spectroscopy may also be needed. The main urinary crystalline categories include: calcium oxalates, calcium phosphates, uric acids and urates, struvite, aminoacids (cystine), purines (2,8-dihydroxyadenine and xanthine) and drugs (e.g. sulfamethoxazole, amoxycillin, ceftriaxone, atazanavir). The investigation of crystalluria is a cheap and valuable tool for the detection and the monitoring of inherited and acquired diseases associated with urinary stone formation or renal function impairment - either acute or chronic - due to intrarenal crystal precipitation.