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IMAGE: A fluorescent microscope image of a thin section of a human kidney stone reveals a complex history of crystal growth layering, fracturing, dissolution and recrystallization. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Mayandi Sivaguru, University of Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Advanced microscope technology and cutting-edge geological science are giving new perspectives to an old medical mystery: How do kidney stones form, why are some people more susceptible to them and can they be prevented?
In a new paper published in the journal
Nature Reviews Urology, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Mayo Clinic and other collaborators described the geological nature of kidney stones, outlined the arc of their formation, established a new classification scheme and suggested possible clinical interventions.