Conductivometric determination of urinary oxalate with oxalate decarboxylase

An enzymatic method for determination of urinary oxalate is described: the acidified urine samples are extracted with chloroform. This manipulation improves the blank values considerably. 1 ml of extracted urine is incubated with oxalate decarboxylase. The CO2 released from the medium is absorbed by Sr(OH)2. The change in conductivity measured in the Sr(OH)2 solution is linearly proportional to the oxalate concentration in urine and the method is specific for oxalate. The mean recovery is 93.2 +/- 2.5%. The coefficient of variation calculated from 28 determinations is 12.6%. The detection limit is 35 nmol. 1 ml of urine is usually sufficient for determination. The mean 24 h urine oxalate excretion of 11 healthy men and 16 women was 240 +/- 20 mumol.