Study Details Evidence on When To Use CT Scans To Identify Kidney Stones

Younger patients with suspected kidney stones can generally avoid use of computerized tomography (CT) scans to identify the kidney stones, while older patients should get CT scans with a reduced-radiation dose, according to AHRQ-funded research. The findings are based on 29 clinical scenarios under which patients with suspected kidney stones should get CT, ultrasound or no imaging at all. Researchers convened a panel of physician experts from the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Radiology and the American Urology Association. There are more than 2 million annual emergency department visits for kidney stone pain in the United States, and CT scanning is currently used in 90 percent of cases to confirm the presence of kidney stones. Access the abstract of the article, which was published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, the Journal of Urology and the Journal of the American College of Radiology.