Renal calculi: Sensitivity for detection with US

The sensitivity of sonography in the detection of renal calculi was tested in a three-phase study in 100 patients. In phase 1, ultrasonographic (US) scanning was performed after review of abdominal radiographs and renal tomograms in 30 patients who had undergone extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). In this group the sensitivity of US for detecting stones was 98%. In phase 2, scanning was performed in 30 post-ESWL patients without prior review of radiographs or tomograms. The sensitivity of US for stone detection in this group was 95%. In phase 3, sonography was performed in a blinded fashion on a random mix of post-ESWL patients and patients who had undergone urography for reasons unrelated to nephrolithiasis. The sensitivity of US for stone detection in this group of 40 patients was 91%. The overall sensitivity in all three groups was 96%, which was superior to the performance of abdominal radiography and slightly inferior to the combination of abdominal radiography and renal tomography. The ability to detect kidney stones with US depended on stone size but was independent of stone location or patient size. The study findings suggest that US is an effective means for detecting kidney stones in patients with suspected nephrolithiasis.