Skip links and keyboard navigation

Urinary tract calculi

ADULT

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.


  • Acute/severe renal or ureteric colic
  • Acute renal or ureteric colic with obstruction and/or infection
  • Acute urinary retention
  • Urinary tract and genital trauma
  • Urinary tract sepsis or severe infection
  • Severe urinary tract bleeding
  • Autonomic dysreflexia
  • Foreign bodies
  • Priapism
  • Acute scrotal pain/ torsion of the testes
  • Severe genital infection e.g. Fournier’s gangrene/epididymo-orchitis
  • Paraphimosis – unable to reduce

  • Refer to Healthpathways or local guidelines

Medical management

  • Analgesia:
    • NSAIDs
    • consider an alpha blocker e.g.Tamsulosin 400 micrograms
  • MSU
  • ELFT FBC, serum calcium and urate
  • Non contrast CT KUB and XR KUB
  • Stone prevention advice

Minimum Referral Criteria

  • Category 1
    (appointment within 30 calendar days)
    • Proven calculi in ureter and any of the following:
      • decreased renal function and/or increasing pain 
      • high-risk patients e.g. patients with single kidney/renal transplant
  • Category 2
    (appointment within 90 calendar days)
    • Proven calculi in kidney and any of the following:
      • resolved symptoms
      • recurrent symptoms
    • All staghorn stones
  • Category 3
    (appointment within 365 calendar days)
    • No category 3 criteria

Please insert the below information and minimum referral criteria into referral

1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this

  • MSU M/C/S results
  • ELFT FBC results
  • Non-contrast CT KUB results (preferred) or USS urinary tract results

3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral

  • If patient has passed previous stone and this has been examined, include details of calculi
  • XR KUB results
  • Serum calcium and urate results

4. Request

Patient's Demographic Details

  • Full name (including aliases)
  • Date of birth
  • Residential and postal address
  • Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
  • Medicare number (where eligible)
  • Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
  • Preferred language and interpreter requirements
  • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Referring Practitioner Details

  • Full name
  • Full address
  • Contact details – telephone, fax, email
  • Provider number
  • Date of referral
  • Signature

Relevant clinical information about the condition

  • Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
  • Physical findings
  • Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
  • Current medications and dosages
  • Drug allergies
  • Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use

Reason for request

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

Clinical modifiers

  • Impact on employment
  • Impact on education
  • Impact on home
  • Impact on activities of daily living
  • Impact on ability to care for others
  • Impact on personal frailty or safety
  • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Other relevant information

  • Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
  • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
  • Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
  • Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service.  Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
  • A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating, or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
  • Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
Version: 9
Last updated: 21 December 2018

© State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 2023

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced, communicated or adapted without permission from Queensland Health. To request permission email ip_officer@health.qld.gov.au.

Explore this site

Contact us

Public health & wellbeing

Clinical practice

Research & reports

Health systems & governance

News & alerts

Employment