Il ruolo del laboratorio clinico nella diagnostica della calcolosi renale.

The pathogenesis of urolithiasis is related to the presence of physico-chemical abnormalities in the urine environment. These anomalies can be highlighted and evaluated through specific biochemical investigations, often not included in the usual activities of a hospital laboratory. The laboratory activities include the adoption of the most appropriate procedures for the evaluation of urine saturation with respect to lithogenic salts (propensity to stone formation), the identification and analysis of precursors and inhibitors of crystallization, the biochemical investigation for the identification of pre-existing diseases, including the genetic ones, and the analysis of kidney stones. Over the years, in the medical approach to nephrolithiasis, the need for specialized analytical techniques has increasingly raised, requiring the use of versatile technology (HPLC, GC-LC/MS, FTIR), adaptable to the investigation of substances belonging to the most varied classes and present in different biological matrices. In this paper we describe the main analytical activities carried out by a specialized laboratory for the study of renal stone disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]