Acute Management of Renal Colic and Compliance with National Standards: Closure of the Audit Loop

Renal (ureteric) colic is a common surgical emergency. It is usually caused by calculi obstructing the ureter, but about 15% of patients have other causes, e.g. extrinsic compression, intramural neoplasia or an anatomical abnormality [1]. Up to 12 percent of the population will have a urinary stone during their lifetime, and recurrence rates approach 50 percent [2]. Fifty-five percent of those with recurrent stones have a family history of urolithiasis [3] and having such a history increases the risk of stones by a factor of three [4]. Upon presentation to the A&E department, suspected acute renal colic patients must have a clinical examination and radiological investigations to confirm the diagnosis [5].