Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/How We Do It/What modalities are used to diagnose kidney stones and what modalities are not used to diagnose kidney stones?

What modalities are used to diagnose kidney stones and what modalities are not used to diagnose kidney stones?

What modalities are used to diagnose kidney stones and what modalities are not used to diagnose kidney stones?
March 3, 2021
0 Comments
By: Glenn Miñano

Abdominal or flank pain is a fairly common reason to go see a doctor or go to the emergency department. Kidney stones can be the cause of this symptom. Patients can also have blood in their urine, either visible or only microscopic. Imaging plays a big role in diagnosing kidney stones. A common modality to start off with is an ultrasound. Since ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation, it is especially attractive to use to image children. Additionally, children tend to be smaller than adults, which makes it easier for the sound waves to traverse the body for image production.  Also, if the stone causes obstruction, ultrasound can show dilatation of the urinary tract.

US kid stone_915x430

However, ultrasound is not perfect and may miss some kidney stones. In a recent study performed by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital researchers, the sensitivity was found to be 67%. This means that 33% of kidney stones are not seen by ultrasound. This is especially true for older/larger patients. Therefore, if there is still a high clinical concern for kidney stones despite a normal ultrasound, a non-contrast CT scan should be considered. One should weigh the fact that CT scans use ionizing radiation, but if there is a good clinical reason to perform a CT scan, the benefit to the patient outweighs the risk. A non-contrast CT scan does not use IV contrast, so the patient does not need to have a peripheral IV in place.  Actually, IV contrast can hide kidney stones as the brightness of the contrast agent is similar to that of stones.

CT R kid stone_915x430_arrow

On occasion, abdominal radiography is ordered as the first test. This can happen when the initial clinical concern is for something else like possible bowel abnormalities or otherwise vague symptoms. We can see about 50-60% of kidney stones by radiography. So, it is good for radiologists to be able to recognize kidney stones in these situations. We do not use MRI or nuclear medicine to detect kidney stones as they are not well seen on these modalities. These modalities may be used to evaluate obstructed kidneys, but the cause of the obstruction in this setting is usually not due to stones.

Referenced article: Robertson NP, Dillman JR, O’Hara SM, et al. Comparison of ultrasound versus computed tomography for the detection of kidney stones in the pediatric population: a clinical effectiveness study. Pediatr Radiol. Published online February 23 2018. doi: 10.1007/s00247-018-4099-7.

 

Pitt template

Dr. Sunny Pitt, author; Glenn Miñano, BFA, editor; Meredith Towbin, copy editor

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

<strong>January 2023</strong> Radiology Patient Experience Update 
January 2023 Radiology Patient Experience Update 
<strong>Radiology Shows Its Support for the Cincinnati Bengals</strong>
Radiology Shows Its Support for the Cincinnati Bengals
Happy New Year 2023!
Happy New Year 2023!
New Employees Joins Our IRC Group
New Employees Joins Our IRC Group
TAGS:
  • kidney stones
  • radiology
Avatar photo

About the author: Glenn Miñano

Glenn Miñano is a media specialist in the Department of Radiology, providing graphic design, photography, printing, video services, and administration of the department’s online properties. His works have been published in several medical articles, such as the American Journal of Radiology and the American Institute of Ultrasound. He has been providing these services to the Radiology Department since 1996.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Comments Yet

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  2.3k views
  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 1.8k views
  • Button Batteries: What Parents Should Know 646 views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 612 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 583 views
  • 5 Tips to Make A Gluten-Free Diet More Manageable 560 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center