Kidney Stones: ABFM practice questions

4 board-style questions on kidney stones in the PulseMD family medicine question bank — physician-reviewed, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 45-year-old woman has an uncomplicated 7 mm stone in the distal ureter with controlled pain and no infection or renal impairment. She prefers to avoid a procedure. Which medication improves her chance of spontaneous stone passage?

1. Tamsulosin daily until the stone passes
2. Hydrochlorothiazide to reduce urinary calcium
3. Allopurinol to shrink the stone chemically
4. Phenazopyridine scheduled around the clock

Sample question 2

A 40-year-old man has passed his third calcium oxalate kidney stone in four years. A 24-hour urine collection shows high urinary calcium with normal serum calcium. Beyond increasing fluid intake to produce more than 2.5 liters of urine daily, which dietary advice is most appropriate?

1. Restrict dietary calcium to below 400 mg per day
2. Increase animal protein to acidify the urine
3. Maintain normal dietary calcium while restricting sodium and oxalate
4. Eliminate citrus fruits, which promote calcium crystallization

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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