What Do Kidney Stones Look Like?
Kidney Stones range from small to large.
Kidney stones or crystals can be less than 6mm up to the size of a golf ball! Calcium oxalate stones, the most common stone or crystal ( ~80%), come in many shapes and sizes because these are chemical crystalline materials. The most common crystalline materials found in kidney stones are calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid and struvite.
It is not uncommon for a crystal or stone to contain more than one crystalline component. Noncrystalline materials found in crystals include proteins and blood. Calcium oxalate stones come basically in two varieties, calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcium oxalate dihydrate.
Below are just a few pictures of crystals secured from various websites which will document the enormous variations in shape and size of the stones.
- Calcium Oxalate Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate / Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate / Apatite Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate Stone
- Calcium Phosphate Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Stone
- Uric Acid / Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate with Superficial Dihydrate Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Enveloping Uric Acid Stone
- Calcium Oxalate Stone with Uric Acid Nidus
