Variability of Imaging Modalities for Acute Flank Pain in the UK

The lifetime prevalence of acute renal colic in the UK has recently been estimated at around 11% and over 80,000 patients per year attend hospital in England with suspected renal colic. This leads to 1–2 presentations of acute flank pain every day to each hospital in the country. Rapid diagnosis will facilitate appropriate management. historically, intravenous urography (IVU) was the 'gold standard' investigation but this has been replaced in recent years by unenhanced computed tomography (CT-KUB). this has well-documented advantages over IVU as the imaging modality of choice in acute flank pain but is still not standard practice in all UK hospitals. the aim of this study was to establish the practical arrangements for imaging suspected stone disease in the UK.