Ketoprofen versus paracetamol in the treatment of acute migraine.

The efficacy and safety of ketoprofen and paracetamol were compared for the treatment of acute migraine in a randomized, double-blind study of 64 patients. Thirty-four patients received ketoprofen 100 mg intramuscularly, and 30 patients received paracetamol 500 mg intramuscularly. Partial or complete relief of pain and other symptoms was achieved 15 to 20 minutes after administration in the ketoprofen group and within 35 minutes in the paracetamol group. Complete relief of pain was achieved within 30 to 40 minutes after ketoprofen in 28 patients (82.5%) compared to 5 patients (17.5%) in the paracetamol group. Six of the patients treated with ketoprofen needed a second dose for complete relief of pain during the 4-hour follow-up period. Side effects were rare and minimal. Our findings suggest that ketoprofen produced statistically significant benefit in the treatment of acute migraine.

Treatment of acute biliary tract infections with ofloxacin: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

The combination of penicillin with an aminoglycoside has been recommended as an initial treatment of choice for patients with acute infections of the biliary tract. However, many patients have incidence of renal problems and for this reason aminoglycosides must be avoided. Newer antimicrobial agents with lesser nephrotoxic effects will be tried. We, therefore, performed a prospective, randomized trial of ofloxacin, a new quinolone and ceftriaxone in patients with acute biliary tract infections. Fifty-two patients with severe biliary tract infections (cholecystitis and cholangitis) were randomly assigned to receive either ofloxacin (n = 28) or ceftriaxone (n = 24). The 2 groups receiving antibiotics were similar with respect to all clinical and laboratory parameters. Bacteria were documented in 48% of patients in the ofloxacin group and in 46% in the ceftriaxone group. The percentage of patients with a clinical cure or significant improvement was the same in the 2 groups. No significant difference was noted between the 2 treatment groups with respect to drug toxicity. These data suggest that intravenous ofloxacin followed by oral administration is an effective and safe single drug for the therapy of patients with acute biliary tract infections.