CT shows no stone—anyone else?
Stone Fighter #B1A014Aug 19, 2026👁️ 631❤️ 200- Strategy
- Patient journey
I had ESWL complicated by steinstrasse about 12 weeks ago. Over the last couple weeks I haven't been feeling great. Not awful, but not great, and I've had intermittent flank pain that's really ramped up over the last couple days. I went to the urologist yesterday and they did a full workup—the ultrasound showed a swollen ureter—but I just got off the phone with them, and the CT (done less than 2 hours after the ultrasound yesterday) showed nothing. No stones, no swelling. My pain and nausea have jumped quite a lot today, and it feels exactly like the stone pain I've had when passing them (this is at least my 4th go-round).
Is it possible they're just missing the stone, or some leftover fragment of some kind?
Comments (3)
Stone Fighter #9CC827May 8, 2026I mean, I'm not a doctor. But I've passed over 100 stones, and I've had 2 situations where they couldn't see a sizeable stone on X-ray or CT scan. I personally think it's possible, though most medical professionals disagree with me.
Stone Fighter #F48373May 8, 2026I've been told stones can break down into almost a sand, and that can be super painful to pass. Maybe that's what's happening, and it's just too small to show up on any imaging.
Stone Fighter #C16081May 8, 2026CTs aren't 100% infallible, but they come pretty damn close. Mid to late 90s percent detection rate. Infinitely better than ultrasound and X-rays. What they can occasionally miss in that very small miss rate are tiny stones or fragments. But if that's the case for you, you'll almost certainly pass them as long as you drink consistently.
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