In this volume, expert contributors present a thorough and state-of-the-art examination of the medical and surgical management of kidney stones. The opening section on the biophysical and biological bases of stone formation covers such topics as inhibitors and promoters of crystallization, crystal-crystal interactions, oxalate handling by renal cells, and intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. A section on clinical and laboratory evaluation of urolithiasis addresses the analysis of stones, the epidemiology of urolithiasis, the stone-forming patient, laboratory and radiologic evaluation of patients with urolithiasis, and the pathophysiology of obstructive uropathy. A section on the surgical management of stones includes consideration of acute and chronic renal pain, percutaneous techniques for stone removal, interventional radiology for stone disease, and management of ureteral calculi. In a final section on medical and surgical management of specific stone types, international experts discuss such topics as primary hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis, and stones due to bowel disease. In this section, extensive consideration is given to both struvite and urate stones.