Combined alizarin red-reticulum stain for tissue localization of calcium deposits

A method combining alizarin red and a modified silver stain for reticulum fibers in tissue sections is described. The method allows precise localization of calcium deposits and crystals in relation to epithelial and interstitial connective tissue elements. The deposits and their spatial relationships are clearly discernible by light microscopy, especially with polarization. The method is particularly useful for investigating calculogenesis and may prove to be of value in the study of the mechanism and evolution of pathologic calcification in various organs.