Efficacy of Ultrasound in Detecting Renal Calculi Keeping Non-Enhanced Computed Tomography as a Reference Standard

Abstract

Background: Renal calculi, are a prevalent health issue afflicting 10 to 15% of the world's population.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare ultrasonography and conventional (non-enhanced) CT in diagnosing kidney calculi.

Methods: In 2020 at Gurki Trust Hospital in Lahore, 100 patients suspected of having kidney calculi were enrolled in a cross-sectional study employing ultrasonography and unenhanced CT scans. To assess the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in identifying renal calculi, non-enhanced CT was used as the gold standard, and the presence or absence of renal calculi was recorded for each imaging modality.

Results: Non-enhanced CT detected kidney calculi in 56 of 100 patients, whereas ultrasonography only detected them in 44. With a sensitivity of 78.6% and a specificity of 97.8%, ultrasonography was found to be highly effective at diagnosing kidney calculi. It had a predictive value of 97.7% for the positive and 80% for the negative.

Conclusion: Our study found that ultrasound is an effective diagnostic tool for detecting renal calculi, with high specificity and moderate sensitivity compared to non-enhanced CT. Our findings suggest that ultrasound may be particularly useful in settings where non-enhanced CT is not readily available or is contraindicated. Further research is needed to determine the diagnosis and management of renal calculi.