[Factors which influence the size of calcium oxalat crystals during their formation from saturated solutions]

The nucleation and growth of Ca-oxalate crystals from metastable and instable solutions was studied in some detail to find out the dependence of the crystal size on the absolute calcium resp. oxalate concentration, further on their molar ratio, on the presence resp. absence of crystal seeds, on the agitation resp. stagnation of the Ca-oxalate solution, on the duration of crystallization and on the renewing of the Ca-oxalate containing supernatant, thus simulating a prolonged (dietary) oxalate load in vivo. The most important findings are the clear inhibition of crystal growth at higher and very high calcium concentrations (in contrary to the unhindered crystal enlargement at high oxalate concentrations), further the eminent role of the oxalate in the formation of big crystals and crystal aggregates, as well as the substantial crystal enlargement at the persistent oxalate load.