Radiology, Vol 194, 789-794, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

Acute flank pain: comparison of non-contrast-enhanced CT and intravenous urography

RC Smith, AT Rosenfield, KA Choe, KR Essenmacher, M Verga, MG Glickman and RC Lange
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.

PURPOSE: To compare non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and intravenous urography (IVU) in the evaluation of patients who present with acute flank pain and in whom ureteric obstruction is suspected. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The findings at non-contrast-enhanced CT and IVU in 20 patients with acute flank pain were compared for the presence or absence of ureteric obstruction and delineation of ureteric stones. RESULTS: Twelve of the 20 patients had non-contrast-enhanced CT and IVU findings consistent with ureteric obstruction. Of these 12 patients, five had a ureteric stone that was demonstrated on both non-contrast- enhanced CT scans and IVU radiographs, six had a stone that was depicted on non-contrast-enhanced CT scans only, and in one patient a stone could not be delineated definitively on either non-contrast- enhanced CT scans or IVU radiographs. Eight patients had findings at non-contrast-enhanced CT and IVU consistent with the absence of obstruction. CONCLUSION: Non-contrast-enhanced CT is more effective than IVU in precisely identifying ureteric stones and is equally effective as IVU in the determination of the presence or absence of ureteric obstruction.

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