Patients and researchers cannot order clinical laboratory tests on anyone including themselves. All moderate and high complexity testing (see below) must be conducted in laboratories certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA). Physician office laboratories can receive a Certificate of Waiver for waived tests.
A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus or nephrolith, is a solid piece of material which is formed in the kidneys from minerals in urine. Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream, and a small stone may pass without causing symptoms.ther associated symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, fever, blood in the urine, pus in the urine, and painful urination. Blockage of the ureter can cause decreased kidney function and dilation of the kidney. Most stones form due to a combination of genetics and environmental factors.
Some stones grow very large and fill the entirety of the kidney collecting system. They are called staghorn calculi (calculus = stone) because they look like antlers. While most kidney stones are made up of calcium oxalate crystals, this type of stone is a composite of struvite, carbonate, and apatite. They are usually the result of recurrent urinary tract infections, in which the bacteria produce ammonia, allowing chemicals in the urine to form the nidus for stone formation.