[X-ray diffraction study of biliary calculi. Morphological and composition correlations of calculi]

In this study, we examined the composition of crystallographic structure of biliary stones in 106 patients (27 male, 79 female). The material has been obtained following cholecystectomy. In 70 cases (66%), the monohydrate cholesterol was the main constituent, alone (33%) or in combination with calcium salts (32%). In 52% of the cases, we found presence of vaterite, aragonite and calcite. The anhydrous cholesterol was determined in 28 subjects (26%), alone (9.4%) or associated with calcium salts (16%). Cholesterol was completely absent in 8 cases: of them, 4 presented an aspecific diffrattografic picture and 4 revealed presence of calcium carbonate. Finally, no correlation was found between epidemiological data (sex or age) and macroscopic feature of biliary stones (chemical and morphological structure).