Although acute pain in the kidney area is a common symptom, diagnosis of kidney stones can only be confirmed from the observation of an actual stone, which may be detected after passing through the urinary tract, with imaging tests, or during surgery. When kidney stones are suspected, a physician will first obtain a detailed medical history and perform a physical exam. Imaging tests such as ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) may be used to examine the urinary tract for the presence of stones.[1][2] X-ray imaging may also be used, but is more often used in follow-up care,[3] due to its more limited ability to detect smaller stones.[4]
References
- ^Kanno T, Kubota M, Sakamoto H, Nishiyama R, Okada T, Higashi Y, Yamada HThe efficacy of ultrasonography for the detection of renal stone.Urology.(2014-Aug)
- ^Kanno T, Kubota M, Sakamoto H, Nishiyama R, Okada T, Higashi Y, Yamada HDetermining the efficacy of ultrasonography for the detection of ureteral stone.Urology.(2014-Sep)
- ^Johnston R, Lin A, Du J, Mark SComparison of kidney-ureter-bladder abdominal radiography and computed tomography scout films for identifying renal calculi.BJU Int.(2009-Sep)
- ^Heidenreich A, Desgrandschamps F, Terrier FModern approach of diagnosis and management of acute flank pain: review of all imaging modalities.Eur Urol.(2002-Apr)