Resistive index in patients with renal colic: differences after medical treatment with indomethacin and ketorolac.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether colour Doppler US can demonstrate haemodynamic differences in patients with renal colic after pharmacological treatment with indomethacin and ketorolac. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 180 consecutive patients with unilateral acute renal colic with colour Doppler US; 90 were treated with indomethacin, 90 with ketorolac. Furthermore, 37 consecutive patients without obstruction (17 treated with indomethacin and 20 with ketorolac) were also examined and considered normal controls. RESULTS: In the patients with renal colic the average resistive index (RI) was significantly greater on the side of the colic after administration of either indomethacin or ketorolac (p<0.001). The average RI in the obstructed kidneys was significantly higher in the patients treated with ketorolac than with indomethacin (p<0.005). No statistically significant differences were shown between the average RIs of the non obstructed kidneys of the patients with renal colic and between the kidneys of the control patients treated with either indomethacin or ketorolac. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Doppler evaluation of patients with renal colic requires careful interpretation after the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), since values of renal RI depend on the drug that has been used to relieve symptoms.