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Ultrasound is increasingly used in the diagnosis of urolithiasis in the emergency department (ED). While ultrasound is radiation-free and less expensive than computed tomography (CT), it provides less detail on the size and location of the stone — details often used to guide management. There is little information about the outcomes of discharged patients to guide shared decision-making conversations. These researchers used a large Massachusetts claims database to assess outcomes of 55,314 patients aged 18 to 64 years with an ED diagnosis of urolithiasis.
Most patients (77%) underwent CT during the initial visit. Overall, 17% of patients underwent a urologic intervention by 60 days, with most occurring within the first 7 days. Of patients in…