Background: CT scan has emerged to be the investigation of choice for renal colic patients in the emergency setting. Ultrasound (US) provides an alternative modality with minimal radiation risk. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the ability of US to identify renal colic patients who are at low risk for urological interventions within 90 days of their initial ED visit. Methods: A retrospective cross sectional observational chart review study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, Royal Hospital, Oman from Jan2009 to Feb2013 using the electronic medical records to extract the data by Trained abstractors. Results: 302 patients were enrolled in the study. 92 (30 %) had normal US results while 210 (70 %) had abnormal US. Only 1.3 % of those with normal US results had CT in comparison to 13% with abnormal US. There were 51 (16%) patients who underwent urosurgical intervention within 90 days of ED visit. 1.7% from the normal ultrasound group whereas 15% from the abnormal ultrasound group P.value 0.001 Conclusion: A normal US results in low risk renal colic patient may predict low likelihood for urological intervention within 90 days from ED presentation.

Background: CT scan has emerged to be the investigation of choice for renal colic patients in the emergency setting. Ultrasound (US) provides an alternative modality with minimal radiation risk. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the ability of US to identify renal colic patien...