Emergency Physician Accuracy in Identifying and Grading Hydronephrosis

As more and more emergency physicians are using point-of-care ultrasound to assess for hydronephrosis in the setting of renal colic, it becomes important to determine how accurate they are for the diagnosis. This study takes previously recorded clips and compares the EP interpretation to a radiologists interpretation. The idea is to see if EPs can determine the presence or absence of hydro, as well as the grade of it, compared to a radiologist looking at the same images. Both are then compared to CTs done in the same patients for a second standard of comparison. This brings to light interesting findings as well as questions regarding the best standard of comparison in this practice.