Ultrasonography of acute flank pain: a focus on renal stones and acute pyelonephritis

Ultrasonography is a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of acute flank pain. Renal stones appear as a focal area of echogenicity with acoustic shadowing on ultrasonography. In acute pyelonephritis (APN), the kidneys may be enlarged and have a hypoechoic parenchyma with loss of the normal cor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ki Choon Sim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Society of Ultrasound in Medicine 2018-10-01
Series:Ultrasonography
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.e-ultrasonography.org/upload/usg-17051.pdf
Description
Summary:Ultrasonography is a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of acute flank pain. Renal stones appear as a focal area of echogenicity with acoustic shadowing on ultrasonography. In acute pyelonephritis (APN), the kidneys may be enlarged and have a hypoechoic parenchyma with loss of the normal corticomedullary junction. However, clinical and laboratory correlations are essential for the diagnosis of renal stones and APN through imaging studies. This review describes the typical ultrasonography features of renal stones and APN. Moreover, in daily practice, cross-sectional imaging is essential and widely used to confirm renal stones and APN and to differentiate them from other diseases causing flank pain. Other diseases causing acute flank pain are also described in this review.
ISSN:2288-5919
2288-5943