Mechanisms of Pathological Mineralization Group Report

Pathological mineralization may complicate a broad spectrum of clinical conditions and take such diverse forms as urinary-stones, dental calculus, salivary calculi, biliary calculi, pancreatic stones, crystal deposits in joints, and various forms of ectopic calcification (Smith, this volume). It was decided, mainly because of the structure and interests of the group, to discuss only four of these in depth. These were considered under two main headings: (a) dental and urinary calculus formation, and (b) abnormal tissue mineralization (with emphasis on pseudogout and ectopic calcification).