Is calculi (kidney stones) a plural term?

Medical Terminology: "Calculi" as Plural Form

Yes, "calculi" is the plural form of "calculus," referring to multiple kidney stones or other mineral deposits in the body. 1

Terminology Usage in Medical Literature

The term appears consistently throughout urological guidelines and medical literature in its plural form:

• "Staghorn calculi" refers to multiple branched stones or the collective description of branching stone formations that occupy large portions of the collecting system 1

• "Ureteral calculi" describes multiple stones in the ureter 1

• "Prostatic calculi" refers to multiple stones in the prostate 2

Singular vs. Plural Forms

• Singular: "calculus" - refers to one stone 1

  • Example: "partial staghorn calculus designates a branched stone" 1
  • Example: "complete staghorn calculus refers to a stone" 1

• Plural: "calculi" - refers to multiple stones or stones collectively 1

  • Example: "staghorn calculi are branched stones" 1
  • Example: "management of staghorn calculi" 1

Clinical Context

This Latin-derived terminology is standard in medical documentation:

• The AUA (American Urological Association) uses "calculi" when discussing multiple stones or stone disease as a category 1

• Both forms appear in the same guidelines depending on whether discussing individual stones versus multiple stones or the disease entity 1

• Other medical calcifications follow the same pattern: "calculus" (singular) and "calculi" (plural) 3