X-Ray KUB
A focused scan for Kidney, Ureter, Bladder and more.
Overview
Examines Kidney, Ureter, Bladder, Stones. Performed at an NABL-accredited Meridian Health centre with a same-day report and a free doctor review.
The full panel
4 areas across 1 groupEvery parameter, grouped by body system — no clicking to expand.
What this scan measures
A single plain film covering the kidneys, ureters and bladder — the KUB view. It shows calcifications along the urinary tract, the bony outlines of the lower ribs, spine and pelvis, and the general pattern of bowel gas.
It is used mainly to follow a stone that has already been identified — to see whether it has moved or passed — and as a quick first look in flank pain. It is cheap, fast and involves far less radiation than a CT, which is why it is preferred for repeated monitoring.
Symptoms that lead to this scan
- Loin or flank pain, particularly if it comes in waves
- Blood in the urine
- Known stone under follow-up
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Pain radiating from the loin to the groin
Understanding your results
Around one in ten urinary stones is radiolucent — uric acid stones in particular do not show on a plain film at all — so a normal KUB does not exclude a stone, and a CT KUB remains the definitive test. Equally, a calcific density on a KUB may be a phlebolith (a harmless calcified vein) rather than a stone, since the plain film cannot always separate the two. The report describes the size and position of any visible density; whether it will pass on its own depends mainly on size and site, which is a clinical judgement.
Why the preparation matters
Ideally the bowel should be reasonably empty, since overlying gas and stool are the main reason small stones are missed — some centres advise a light dinner or a laxative the night before. Empty your bladder before the film and remove metal objects from the waist. Tell the radiographer if pregnancy is possible; ultrasound is generally used instead in pregnancy.
X-Ray — safety and who should not be scanned
Full X-Ray guideThis is a low-dose ionising radiation test. Published reference figures put a chest X-ray at roughly the natural background radiation an average person absorbs over about ten days — less than a long-haul flight adds. Views through thicker tissue, such as the abdomen or lumbar spine, carry a meaningfully higher dose, which is why they are ordered more selectively. Modern digital detectors need far less radiation than the film systems they replaced, and the beam is collimated to the area being examined.
- Pregnancy, or any chance of it
- Tell the radiographer before the exposure, not after. X-rays of the chest or a limb deliver very little to the uterus and can often proceed with shielding when clinically necessary, but abdominal and pelvic views are usually deferred or replaced by ultrasound. The decision is made deliberately, by a doctor, in every case.
- Children and repeated imaging
- Children are more radiosensitive and have more years ahead in which an effect could appear, so paediatric exposures use reduced settings and every repeat is justified individually. If you have had several X-rays recently, say so — prior images can often be reused instead.
- Inability to hold the position or the breath
- Movement blurs the image and usually means the exposure has to be repeated, doubling the dose for no benefit. Tell the radiographer if pain, breathlessness or unsteadiness will make the position difficult; the view can almost always be adapted or supported.
- Metal and dense objects in the field
- Jewellery, coins, hairpins, bra underwires, belt buckles, dentures and some clothing prints appear as solid white shadows that can hide the anatomy underneath. They are removed before the exposure rather than worked around.
Who should consider this scan
- Anyone with a known stone being monitored
- People with recurrent stone disease
- Anyone with flank pain and blood in the urine
- Patients after stone treatment, to check clearance
- Anyone with recurrent urinary infections
Conditions it helps detect
How it works
Patient stories
96% recommend“The phlebotomist arrived exactly on time and was gentle. My report came in five hours with a doctor’s note.”
“Booked at night, sample collected next morning. The parameter breakdown is genuinely thorough.”
“Loved the free doctor review — she walked me through my vitamin D and thyroid results clearly.”