Absence or decreased endogenous thiosulfaturia: a cause of recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis.

In two earlier publications we reported excellent therapeutic results in patients with recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis, using oral or intravenous i.v. sodium thiosulfate on the one hand, and on treatment of tumorus-soft periarticular tissues calcifications on the other. Thus, we considered useful to measure endogenous thiosulfaturia, using a specific HPLC method, in 25 healthy adult males and 25 patients with recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis. Healthy adult males excreted between 11 and 16 microM/24 hour of endogenous thiosulfate, while patients with recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis excreted significantly lower amounts of 6 and 10 microM/24 hour, except one patient, who did not excrete endogenous thiosulfate, reflecting probably a genetic abnormality. Thiosulfate is a unique agent for treatment of recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis as well as some other abnormal calcium depositions. Two doses of 5 mM sodium thiosulfate daily are therapeutically sufficient.