Emergency Department-Based Treatment of Acute Ureteral Colic with Hydromorphone and Pethidine: Prospective, Randomized Control Trial

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacies and side effects of intravenous hydromorphone and pethidine in the emergency department (ED) treatment of ureteral colic. METHODS: A prospective, controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted in a university-affiliated tertiary referral center. All adult patients who presented to the ED with severe ureteral colic were included. The patients received either 1 mg of hydromorphone (n=26) or 50 mg of pethidine (n=26) intravenously. Pain intensity was determined using a 10 cm visual analogue scale 0, 15, 30, and 120 minutes after injection. RESULTS: Dermographic characteristics and baseline pain scores of both groups were comparable (p>0.05). The pain intensity level for the hydromorphone group was lower than for the pethidine group at 15, 30, and 120 minutes. Pain relief was better with hydromorphone at 15 minutes (p<0.05). Side effects of the two groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The ureteral colic patients receiving hydromorphone achieved more pain relief. The side effects were similar for either treatment. Hydromorphone should be the preferred agent in suspected ureteral colic, when an opioid analgesic is to be used.

Efficacy of Diclofenac versus Caroverine in the ED Treatment of Acute Ureteral Colic

BACKGROUND: Ureteral colic due to acute obstruction of urine flow is a frequent and painful condition presenting in the emergency department. Proper control of ureteral colic is important in the management of such a patient. Many drugs, including narcotics, had been used to control ureteral colic, and of them, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are most commonly used. This study was carried out to compare the analgesic effect of diclofenac with that of caroverine which is used empirically in ureteral colic. METHODS: We carried out a randomized, prospective clinical trial in the emergency department of a university hospital. Sixty patients in whom ureteral colic had been diagnosed on the basis of physical signs and symptoms were included in this study. Each patients received an IM dose of diclofenac 75 mg, a IV bolus dose of caroverine 20 mg, or a continuous infusion of caroverine 60 mg. An additional dose of medication was added 20 min after the initial medication if needed. RESULTS: The main outcome was measured by using both the visual analogue scale(VAS), four-point categorial pain scale at times of 20, 40, and 60 min after initial medication. The requirement for supplemental medication was also measured. At 40 min, diclofenac was more effective than the other two treatments according to its pain- relieving capacity(p<0.05) and the categorial pain scale. By 60 min, caroverine continuous infusion was less effective than the other two treatments according to visual analogue scale(VAS) and the categorial pain scale(p<0.05). There were no significant differences between the diclofenac group and the caroverine bolus injection group at this time. The diclofenac group needed significantly less rescue medication for pain control(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: IM diclofenac, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug, was superior to the spasmolytics, single bolus or continuous intravenous infused, in treatment of ureteral colic.