Comparative study of Ultrasonography and Computed Tomography for detecting stones in case of renal colic

Abstract

INTRODUCTION :  Nephrolithiasis is most commoncause of renal colic encountered. Computed Tomography of kidneys, ureters and bladder (CT-KUB) was found to be extremely sensitive and specific for ureteric calculi. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography ( USG) and CT-KUB in patients  presenting with renal colic based on previous studies by Sharad Kondekar , Iqbal Minne & Doaa N Anas, Khaled Elshafey et.al.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study. The USG and CT-KUB findings of 2574 patients were retrospectively analyzed over four years.  The data was compiled using XLSX Spreadsheet. Sensitivity , specificity ,diagnostic accuracy , positive predictive value and negative predictive values of USG were calculated taking CT-KUB as the gold standard.

RESULT: In 2574 sets of data ,the majority of patients were ≤ 30 years old with males predominating. In 2269 cases ,renal calculi were detected in both USG and CT-KUB and CT-KUB alone deteted renal calculi in 2554 cases. USG detected maximum 1435 cases with 5-10mm sized renal calculi and CT-KUB too detected maximum of 5-10 mm calculi in 1430 cases. The sensitivity , specificity, ,diagnostic accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive values of USGtaking CT-KUB as the gold standard, were 88.21%, 17.6%. 87.75%, 99.38% and 0.98% respectively.

CONCLUSION: Although CT-KUB exposes patients to ionizing radiation, it remains the  gold standard due to its higher diagnostic accuracy.  USG , while less specific , may serve as an initial , no-invasive screening tool.Keywords: CT, renal colic, radiation hazards, ultrasonography