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Bedside ultrasound and the assessment of renal colic: a review
Emergency Medicine Journal, 06/26/2012
Exclusive author commentary
Dalziel PJ et al. – The authors concluded that there is enough evidence to define a rational algorithm for renal colic management. A prospectively validated algorithm would greatly assist primary care and emergency practitioners while reducing costs and radiation dose.
Peregrine James Dalziel (06/26/2012) comments:
Bedside ultrasound may provide sufficient information to safely discharge a patient with likely renal colic, without the need for CT scanning. There is some evidence to suggest that hydronephrosis grade is be correlated with increasing stone size. The likelihood of missing a critical diagnosis is probably small if patients are seleceted appropriately and the pre-test probability of stone is high. A validated algorithm or scoring system should be devised to indicate which patients are suitable for simple bedside assessment.
