title: [Contrast-free helical computerized tomography compared with ultrasonography and simple abdominal radiography in the study of patients with acute lumbar pain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation the diagnostic ability of unenhanced helical computed tomography in the evaluation of patients with acute flank pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospectively evaluation of 82 patients referred for acute flank pain between january 1999 and june 2000. 78 patients were imaged with, 73 abdominal ultrasound and 46 with TCHNC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plain radiography shows 49.1% of diagnosed lithiasis. Ultrasound was 48% sensitive and 96% specific. TCHNC was 100% sensitive and 84% specific in the diagnosis of lithiasis, allowing in 11 patients a diagnosis unrelated to stone disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TCHNC is a valuable radiologic technique for patients presenting with acute flank pain and consider the TCHNC as initial evaluation technique in patients with acute flank pain, allowing not only the localization of the stone as well as the diagnosis of extraurinary pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Servicios de Urología y Radiología, Hospital Clinica Benidorm, Benidorm, Alicante.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llopis Cartagena
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rams García
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fuster Escrivá
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Díaz Concepción
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solaz Mínguez
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Martín Fernández
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gómez Salinas
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography
vernacular_title: La tomografía computarizada helicoidal sin contraste en comparación con la ecografía y la radiografía simple de abdomen en el estudio del paciente con dolor lumbar agudo.