Recent reports imply that the
prostaglandin system is involved in the pathogenesis of
pain due to
renal colic, and
prostaglandin-synthetase inhibitors have been proposed in the management of this condition. A dose-response study has therefore been performed in patients with
renal colic, using two intravenous non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs,
indoprofen and
lysine acetylsalicylate (ASA). Seventy-five inpatients (15 per group) were treated with three dose levels of
indoprofen (100, 200 and 400 mg) or two dose levels of ASA (500 and 1500 mg) according to a double-blind, randomized, parallel-group design. The patients scored their
pain at 15, 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes
after treatment; they also assessed the overall efficacy of treatment by means of a visual analogue scale. The results showed that, in terms of mean
pain score, there was a prompt
analgesic response in each treatment group, higher effects being obtained with increasing dose levels of both drugs. However, the statistical prerequisites for calculating a potency ratio between the drugs under study were satisfied only for a few variables, in which cases the relative potency of
indoprofen to ASA varied between 7.1 and 8.8. The analysis of the frequencies of response, on the other hand, revealed for
indoprofen a significant dose-effect regression, the higher dose of this
drug giving a complete or nearly complete relief of
pain in the majority of patients.