Kidney Stone Ultrasound: Diagnosis, Benefits & What to Expect

Kidney stones are the result of certain minerals in the urine crystallizing and forming a solid mass. They can block the flow of urine and cause a variety of symptoms, including excruciating pain. An ultrasound test can quickly and easily detect kidney stones, and has many advantages over other methods of diagnosis.

Identification

• Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to probe the human body and examine its structures.

Effectiveness

• An ultrasound is often used to examine the abdomen, because there are fewer solid structures (such as bones) to block the sound waves.

Kidney Stones

• A kidney stone ultrasound detects solid masses of minerals that typically occur in the kidney or bladder.

Uses

• An ultrasound can be especially useful in detecting if the kidney is swollen. A swollen kidney indicates that the stone may be blocking the flow of urine.

Advantages

• Using ultrasound to diagnose a kidney stone is fairly inexpensive and does not expose the patient to radiation.