The international surgical journal with global reach

This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS

Systematic review of the relative efficacy of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids in the treatment of acute renal colic. BMJ 2004; 328: 1401-1404.

Published: 1st January 2004

Authors: Holdgate A, Pollock T.

Conclusion

Twenty trials that included 1613 patients were studied. Both drugs improved pain scores but patients who received non-steroidal drugs were less likely to need rescue analgesia (relative risk 0.75, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.61 to 0.93) and less likely to have vomiting (0.35, 0.23 to 0.53).

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