Morphology of urinary stone particles resulting from ESWL treatment

Fragments of urinary stones resulting from extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Calcium oxalate monohydrate and uric acid stone fragments were homogeneous and regular whereas struvite stone fragments were irregular in shape. Examination of the fractured surfaces revealed that the process of stone fragmentation involved fracture and cleavage of the crystals at some places and their separation from each other at others. In stones whose crystals are organised in layers, for instance calcium oxalate monohydrate and uric acid, crystalline layers separated along the concentric laminations. In struvite stones, which are an agglomeration of struvite and calcium phosphate crystals, major fragmentation occurred along the crystalline interfaces.