Loading...
In a recent study of patients presenting with painful ureteral stones, cessation of pain during the ensuing weeks did not necessarily mean that the stone had passed (NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 1 2018 and J Urol 2018; 199:1011). Now, in another study, researchers examined this issue in 220 patients with acute ureteral colic (stone diameter, <9 mm) who did not undergo urologic intervention to remove the stone. Stones were documented by computed tomography (CT); hydronephrosis was present in 81% of cases.
On follow-up CT about 1 month later, 80% of patients had passed their stones, and 20% had persistent stones. Among the 43 patients with persistent stones, 36 had no pain, 26 had no hydronephrosis, and 23 had neither hydronephrosis nor pain. Even amon…