The following discussion centers on calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones, but permits generalization to other forms of stone. Although it constitutes a primer on the subject, it does attempt to deal with inconsistencies in our current meager knowledge of the physical characteristics of urolithiasis. In addition, it describes concepts and approaches that appear to be useful and that should be incorporated into urolithiasis research, to make future work in the field susceptible to analysis by conventional physical theory.
The known physicochemical features of urolithiasis are readily divided into four interrelated subjects: the driving force (supersaturation), nucleation, the growth of crystals and particles, and aggregation.
