The aim of the study is to determine whether dermal scarification is equally effective for treating
acute renal colic compared to
diclofenac sodium intramuscular
therapy. A prospective, randomized controlled study was conducted with methodologic rigor based on CONSORT criteria. A total of 291 patients, aged ≥ 18 years, suffering from
acute renal colic were included in this trial and randomly assigned in two groups. Patients in the first group (A) received endodermal injection (dermal scarification) of 1 ml
normal saline at the area of intensity of
pain. The second group (B) received 75 mg
diclofenac sodium by
intramuscular injection. The success of each method defined the primary end point.
Pain intensity before and
after treatment was assessed using a visual analog scale. The time onset and the duration of
analgesia were also recorded. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding
hematuria (p = 0.158), stone identification at KUB (p = 0.751) and mean
pain intensity (p = 0.609) before treatment initiation. The method was successful in 75.5 % of patients in group A and 74.3 % of patients in group B (p = 0.812). Mean
pain reduction was comparable, 5.65 ± 3.05 in group A and 5.34 ± 2.99 in group B (p = 0.379), with dermal scarification eliciting its effect considerably faster, whereas the duration of
analgesia was longer in the
diclofenac group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dermal scarification could constitute an alternative method for treating
renal colic as it is equally effective compared to the standard treatment of
diclofenac sodium.