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Urological Emergencies pp 221–238Cite as

Renal Colic and Obstructing Kidney Stones: Diagnosis and Management

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Part of the book series: Current Clinical Urology ((CCU))

Abstract

Renal colic describes the acute, severe, and paroxysmal pain caused by obstruction of the urinary tract. Pain perceived as renal colic may stem from a variety of urologic and non-urologic conditions with a broad list of differential diagnoses encompassing numerous organ systems and pathological mechanisms. Careful evaluation with a thorough history and physical exam, as well as laboratory and imaging studies, is necessary to exclude life-threatening conditions and make a definitive diagnosis of an obstructing ureteral stone. Most cases can be treated expectantly with medical management, but urgent intervention with retrograde ureteral stenting or placement of a percutaneous nephrostomy tube may be necessary. In the post-acute setting, definitive treatment may be accomplished on an outpatient basis utilizing a modality commensurate with the clinical parameters, equipment and facility availability, and preferences of the physician and the patient.

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  1. Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, A610, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA

    Joe Miller & Marshall L. Stoller

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Correspondence to Marshall L. Stoller .

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  1. School of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street Box 356510, Seattle, 98195, Washington, USA

    Hunter Wessells

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Miller, J., Stoller, M.L. (2013). Renal Colic and Obstructing Kidney Stones: Diagnosis and Management. In: Wessells, H. (eds) Urological Emergencies. Current Clinical Urology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-423-4_17

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