Rule Out / Past cases / Kidney stones
Rule Out case #5 · GentleKidney stones: a six-clue practice case
Read the clues in order and name the diagnosis as early as you can. Clues move from the patient’s story to the classic findings.
Play it as a game firstGuess before each clue unlocks, then share your score.The clues
Clue 1: A 40-year-old man wakes up with severe pain in his right side and back.
Clue 2: He cannot sit still and keeps pacing around the room.
Clue 3: The pain comes in waves and moves down toward his groin.
Clue 4: He has worked outside in the heat all week and drunk very little water.
Clue 5: A urine dipstick shows blood.
Clue 6: A non-contrast CT shows a 5 mm stone in the right ureter.
Show the diagnosis and takeaways
Diagnosis
Kidney stones (nephrolithiasis)
What gives it away
- Colicky flank pain that radiates to the groin, in a patient who cannot get comfortable, is the classic picture.
- Dehydration is a major risk factor; most stones are calcium oxalate.
- Most stones under 5 mm pass on their own with fluids and pain control.
Ran as Rule Out #5 (Thursday, October 22, 2026).
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