Analgesic Effects and Safety of Desmopressin, Tramadol and Indomethacin in Patients with Acute Renal Colic; A Randomized Clinical Trial

To compare the efficacy of desmopressin (DDAVP), tramadol and indomethacin on pain intensity of patients with acute renal colic caused by urolithiasis. This prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted between July 2005 and July 2006 including 120 patients (70 men and 50 women, mean age 38.2±5.8 years) referring to emergency room of Shahid Faghihi hospital with renal colic caused by urolithiasis without any previous treatment. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups: group A received tramadol 50mg intramuscularly (n=40), group B received desmopressin 40 µg intranasally (n=40) and group C received indomethacin 100mg rectally (n=40). The pain was assessed both on admission and 30 minutes after the intervention. The pain intensity and the side effects were compared between two study groups. There was no significant difference between two study groups regarding the baseline characteristics. The intensity of pain of presentation was almost similar in all groups. In group A, 30 patients (75%), in group B, 15 patients (37.5%) and in group C, 19 patients (47.5%) had complete pain relief. The pain intensity decreased significantly after the intervention within all three groups (p<0.001). According to the results of the current study, rectal indomethacin, intramuscular tramadol and intranasal desmopressin are effective and safe routs of controlling pain in acute renal colic secondary to urolithiasis. Tramadol was the most effective agent in controlling the pain.