Questions posted in the The Urology Forum have been answered by urologists from Henry Ford Health System and by Dr. Kevin Pho.

Question Title: Kidney & testicle pain

Forum: The Urology Forum
Topic: Kidney/Urinary Stones

My husband has been complaining of an ache in the area of his
left kidney for a while now. Recently, he told me that the pain
has slowly radiated down his side into his abdomen and into his
left testicle. I don't think it could be characterized as
excrutiating pain, but it was bothering him enough that he made
a doctor's appointment. The NP he saw didn't know what to make
of it.....no blood in urine or stools, and no pain urinating like
common with urinary tract infections. His prostate was slightly
enlarged. They scheduled him for a
CAT scan. Just wondering if somebody can tell me if this sounds
like something that could be caused by kidney stones. My thoughts
immediately turned to some sort of cancer since I thought they
usually used an ultrasound (not a CAT scan) to check for stones.
Any help appreciated for a very worried wife. Thank you.


Dear MO,
Classic kidney stone pain (renal colic) is an intense pain beginning in the upper flank. This pain tends to radiate to the front and down, sometimes ending in the groin or scrotum as the stone moves towards the bladder. The pain is thought to arise from stretching of the urinary tract with obstruction of urine flow as opposed to scraping of a stone along the walls. Nausea, vomiting, constipation, blood in the urine (hematuria), often occur. Hematuria is not necessary for a stone diagnosis.
If clinically suspected, an evaluation for kidney stones involved an IVP classically. The IVP or excretory urogram involves IV contrast dye to help visualize the urinary tract radiographically. More recently, the use of CT scans without contrast have been used for initial stone evaluation. This study can evaluate the abdomen for other causes of pain as well.
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its satellites (1 800 653 6568).

HFHS M.D.-CK
*keyword: renal colic
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