Does Everyone with Renal Colic Need a CT Scan?

Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP, FIFEM

A new clinical rule predicts the presence of uncomplicated kidney stones.

There is concern about excessive radiation related to routine computed tomography scanning for patients with suspected ureteral colic. Researchers retrospectively derived and prospectively validated a clinical prediction rule for uncomplicated ureteral stones in adults with flank pain. Patients with infection, trauma, known malignancy, renal disease, or prior urologic procedures were excluded.

Citation(s):

Moore CL et al. Derivation and validation of a clinical prediction rule for uncomplicated ureteral stone—the STONE score: Retrospective and prospective observational cohort studies. BMJ 2014 Mar 26; 348:g2191.