J Korean Soc Med Ultrasound.  1999 Mar;18(1):17-24.

Sonography as an Initial Study in Patients with Suspected Ureteral Stone

• Lee JG
• Lim JW
• Ko YT
• Lee DH
• Lee HW
• Oh JH
• Yoon Y
• Lee SJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of sonography as an initial study in patients with suspected ureteral stone.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We have undertaken a prospective study for 106 patients with suspected ureteral stone during 15 months. All the patients subsequently underwent urography at a mean interval of 1.8 days after the abdominopelvic sonography. We had only a clinical impression at the sonography and didn't refer to the other study such as KUB. We observed the degree of hydronephrosis using a grading system by Ellenbogen et aland location and size of stone.
RESULTS
Seventy four patients had ureteral stone disease. The sonographic findings of these 74 patients showed a stone with hydronephrosis in 61 patients, a stone without hydronephrosis in 9, only hydronephrosis without stone in 2, and unremarkable finding in 2. In 3 of the remaining 32 patients, sonography showed hydronephrosis without stone. Locations of stone were 9 patients of ureteropelvic junction(UPJ), 19 of proximal ureter, 30 of distal ureter, and 16 of ureterovesical junction(UVJ). The sensitivity of sonography for stone was 95% and the specificity was 100%. When a ureteral stone was present, ipsilateral hydronephrosis was detected in 85% of cases on sonography. When only hydronephrosis without stone was detected on sonography, a ureteral stone was diagnosed in 2(40%) of 5 patients. Mean discrepancy of stone size between sonography and KUB was 3.1mm and stone size on sonography was larg e r. Grade of hydronephrosis between sonography and urography was the same in 32(59%) of 54 patients, whose stones were not expelled until urography after sonography.
CONCLUSION
Sonography could be used as an initial study in patients with suspected ureteral stone.

MeSH Terms

Humans
Hydronephrosis
Prospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Ultrasonography
Ureter*
Urography