Renal Imaging in Stone Disease: Which Modality to Choose?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Developing a Bedside Protocol for Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasonography
Published on: June 21, 2024
Iha Kaul1, Sarah Moore1, Emily Barry1
1Urology Resident, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Abstract:
Numerous imaging modalities are available to the provider when diagnosing or surveilling kidney stones. The decision to order one over the other can be nuanced and especially confusing to non-urologic practitioners. This manuscript reviews the main modalities used to image stones in the modern era - renal bladder ultrasound, Kidney Ureter Bladder plain film radiography (KUB), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and non-contrast computerized tomography (NCCT). While NCCT has become the most popular and familiar modality for most practitioners, particularly in the acute setting, ultrasound is a cost-effective technology that is adept at monitoring interval stone development in patients and evaluating for the presence of hydronephrosis. KUB and MRI also occupy unique niches in the management of urolithiasis. In the correct clinical setting, each of these modalities has a role in the acute workup and management of suspected nephrolithiasis.
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