Identification

• Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to probe the human body and examine its structures.
  
  

Effectiveness

• An ultrasound is often used to examine the abdomen, because there are fewer solid structures (such as bones) to block the sound waves.
  
  

Kidney Stones

• A kidney stone ultrasound detects solid masses of minerals that typically occur in the kidney or bladder.
  
  

Uses

• An ultrasound can be especially useful in detecting if the kidney is swollen. A swollen kidney indicates that the stone may be blocking the flow of urine.
  
  

Advantages

• Using ultrasound to diagnose a kidney stone is fairly inexpensive and does not expose the patient to radiation.