NSAID Dose Before Stent Removal Prevents Severe Post-Op Pain

A single dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) before ureteric stent removal can prevent severe pain afterwards, a study found.

In a prospective double-blind study, a team led by Michael J. Conlin, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, enrolled 22 adult patients with an indwelling ureteric stent after ureteroscopy and randomized them to receive either a single 50 mg dose of rofecoxib or a single dose of placebo prior to stent removal. Twenty-one patients completed the study.

Severe pain (a score of 7 or higher on a visual analogue scale) during the 24 hours after stent removal was reported by six of 11 patients (55%) in the placebo group compared with none of the 10 patients in the NSAID group, the investigators reported in BJU International (2013;111:101-105).

The researchers observed no complications related to rofecoxib use.