“What tests are needed for kidney stones?”

CT scans are best for detecting kidney stones.

He needs an ultrasound (US) of the kidneys, which can be scheduled faster and does not use radiation for a quick diagnosis or a computed tomography (CT) scan that uses radiation and is the ultimate test for diagnosis when the patient is in severe pain that sends him to the ER.

If the pain is tolerable, go to your primary care physician who will probably order an ultrasound. If the pain is intolerable, meaning it wakes you up from sleep or prevents you from going to sleep, go to the ER. The ER doc will most likely order a CT scan without intravenous contrast if he thinks the pain is due to stones.

Make sure your husband drink a lot of water all the time unless he has a heart condition of some sort or kidney problems because the water will help prevent formation of stones.

Take care.

The first thing to do would be to get a urinalysis to see if your husband has hematuria. If the urinalysis is positive for hematuria, then a CT Renal stone study would be the next course of action to determine if there is a stone either within the kidney or with in the ureter. It would also help to exclude other etiologies for your husband’s pain. I hope this helps.

Brian

He would need a CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis without contrast.

I hope that helps,

Dr. Cox

CT abdomen and pelvis without contrast