Alfuzosin for Medical Expulsion Therapy of Ureteral Stones

Summary

The goal of this study is to conduct a prospective controlled trail of four currently approved Department of Defense (DOD) - formulary medications for use as medical expulsion therapy (MET) for kidney stones. Between 8% and 15% of Americans will develop symptomatic urolithiasis in there life. Several medications, including steroids, calcium channel blockers, alpha-adrenergic antagonists and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, have been utilized to aid in the spontaneous passage of distal ureteral calculi. Recently, use of selective alpha-blockers has shown promise for medical expulsion therapy (MET) of distal ureteral calculi. None of these studies have been widely publicized outside the specialty of urology. Recent studies have shown a success rate of nearly 90% when the selective alpha-blocker tamsulosin (Flomax) was used for MET. MET has also been shown to result in a decreased narcotic requirement, shorter time to stone passage, and reduced requirement for further interventions. The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of MET as initial management for kidney stones using DOD-approved formulary medications.

Timeline

Start

2008-01

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2012-12

Drugs

Indications