The in-vivo effect of sodium-potassium citrate on the crystal growth rate of calcium oxalate and other parameters in human urine.

In this study, an efficient microtechnique (gel crystallization method) was used to investigate the in-vivo effect of sodium-potassium citrate on the crystal growth rate of calcium oxalate (Vcr) in human urine samples of 6 healthy volunteers. With a daily dose of 3 X 11 mmol of alkali citrate, Vcr decreased by 70%. This could have been due to the decrease of calcium excretion, which caused 50-60% of the total change, and to the increase of citrate and pH, each contributing about 20-25% to the decline of Vcr. The findings explain the clinical advantages of alkali citrates in the prevention of recurrent calcium oxalate stone formation.