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. 2010 Aug;93(8):48-51.

Imaging evaluation and treatment of nephrolithiasis: an update

Terri J Vrtiska  1 , Amy E Krambeck, Cynthia H McCollough, Shuai Leng, Mingliang Qu, Lifeng Yu, John C Lieske
Affiliations

Imaging evaluation and treatment of nephrolithiasis: an update

Terri J Vrtiska et al. Minn Med. 2010 Aug.

Abstract

Advances in radiology have led to improvements in care for patients with urinary tract stones. One of the most promising imaging techniques is dual-energy CT, which enables more accurate characterization of stone disease than other imaging techniques and helps direct therapy at the time of the initial imaging evaluation. Improvements in percutaneous therapy have led to less-invasive and less-costly treatments for nephrolithiasis. This article describes some of these new approaches to diagnosing and caring for patients with renal stone disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Single-Energy CT Imaging of Nephrolithiasis
Single-energy CT does not show differences in kidney stone composition. Here, a stone from a 74-year-old with known calcium nephrolithiasis (A) looks the same as that from a 50-year-old with known uric acid nephrolithiasis (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Dual-Energy CT Imaging of Nephrolithiasis
In these images, calcium-containing stones appear in blue (A), and stones that contain uric acid appear in red (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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