Journal of endourology
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Journal of endourology · Nov 2003
Comparative StudyUrinary stone size: comparison of abdominal plain radiography and noncontrast CT measurements.
To compare urinary stone size as measured by abdominal plain radiography (AXR) with stone size as measured by noncontrast three-dimensional spiral CT in patients with acute renal colic. ⋯ A CT scan provides estimates of stone size that are consistently greater than those of AXR in both the longitudinal and transverse axes. However, for stones between 2 and 13 mm in maximum diameter, these differences do not attain significance. In patients with a history of radiopaque stones in this size range, therefore, AXR may provide useful size data for clinical decision-making without concern about significant disparities between the two modalities. As AXRs are more expeditiously obtained, incur less direct costs, and expose patients to significantly lower doses of radiation than CT scans, they remain a useful adjunctive study in the work-up of nephrolithiasis.