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Ureteral CalculiNCT00831701

Medical Expulsive Therapy of Single Distal Ureteral Stones

A study testing Tamsulosin in people with Ureteral Calculi, run by University of Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Current therapeutic options for ureteral stones include active intervention as well as conservative "watch and wait" approaches. Endoscopic treatment of ureteral stones has a high success rate and reliably results in immediate stone removal However, surgical as well as anaesthetic risks are not negligible and serious… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Ureteral Calculi
What is being tested?
Tamsulosin
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
100 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
Sep 2006to Nov 2008
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • patients with a single 2 to 7mm ureteral stone below the common iliac vessels

Who cannot join

  • presence of multiple ureteral stones
  • renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate below 60 ml/min)
  • urinary tract infection
  • a solitary kidney
  • pregnancy
  • history of ureteral surgery or previous endoscopic procedure
  • hypersensitivity to tamsulosin
  • current alpha-blocker, calcium-antagonist or corticosteroid medication

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Switzerland1 site
  • Department of Urology, University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland

    Zurich, 8091

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: Medical Expulsive Therapy of Single Distal Ureteral Stones. A Randomised, Double-blind and Placebo-controlled Study

Current therapeutic options for ureteral stones include active intervention as well as conservative "watch and wait" approaches. Endoscopic treatment of ureteral stones has a high success rate and reliably results in immediate stone removal However, surgical as well as anaesthetic risks are not negligible and serious complications are possible. For many patients, a conservative treatment is an appealing option. Watchful waiting, however, not always results in stone clearance and may be associated with recurrent renal colics.

The therapeutic potential of alpha-blockers for ureteral stone disease has been investigated prompted by the detection of alpha-receptors in ureteral smooth muscle cells. Blocking of such receptors, which are predominantly located in the distal part of the ureter results in relaxation of the ureteral wall and modulation of peristaltic activity. This mechanism has been proposed to facilitate stone passage for ureteral calculi.

Numerous clinical trials have revealed a significant improvement of the stone expulsion rate using the alpha-blocker tamsulosin. Most of these studies were randomised but none were performed in a double-blind and placebo-controlled fashion. Therefore, the objective of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of medical expulsive therapy with tamsulosin in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled setting.

Being tested
Tamsulosin, Placebo
Keywords
Adrenergic alpha antagonists, drug therapy, tamsulosin, ureter
Medical subject headings
Ureteral Calculi

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TamsulosinDrug

    Also called Pradif, Flomax

    0.4 mg Tamsulosin once daily for 21 days

  • PlaceboDrug

    One placebo pill per day for 21 days or until stone expulsion

Study groups in NCT00831701
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TamsulosinActive comparatorTamsulosin treatment
Receives: Drug: Tamsulosin
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorPlacebo treatment
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Number of Participants With Stone Expulsion

    The primary end point was the number of patients per group experiencing stone expulsion until day 21, as confirmed by low-dose abdominal computed tomography (CT).

    Measured: 21 days

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Time to Stone Passage

    The patient-defined time of stone expulsion was considered the event for time to stone passage. Patients with unnoticed stone expulsion were censored at the date of last positive stone status, and those who discontinued the therapy were censored at the date of last medication intake. Kaplan-Meier estimates were computed for time to stone passage.

    Measured: 21 days

  2. Required Analgesics

    Oral diclophenac (up to 3x50 mg pills) as first-line and oral metamizole (up to 8x 500mg pills)as second-line on-demand analgesics were prescribed. All patients were requested to record the required amount of pills per day

    Measured: Until stone expulsion or up to 21 days

  3. Maximum Daily Pain Score

    All patients kept a diary to record the score of every painful episode on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (0= no pain at all; 10= strongest pain one can imagine).

    Measured: Until stone expulsion or up to 21 days

  4. Number of Participants Requiring Active Treatment

    The number of participants requiring active treatment was recorded. Shock wave lithotrypsy (SWL), ureterorenoscopy (URS) or insertion of an ureteral catheter were considered as active treatment.

    Measured: 21 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Jan 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2006
  3. Primary completionNov 2008
  4. Study completionNov 2008

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
100 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00831701
Sponsor's protocol ID
1-Hermanns
Status last verified
May 2010
First submitted
19 Nov 2008
Last updated
25 May 2010
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Hermanns T, Sauermann P, Rufibach K, Frauenfelder T, Sulser T, Strebel RT. Is there a role for tamsulosin in the treatment of distal ureteral stones of 7 mm or less? Results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur Urol. 2009 Sep;56(3):407-12. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2009.03.076. Epub 2009 Apr 3.

    PubMed 19375849

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Tamsulosin in people with Ureteral Calculi, run by University of Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 May 2010. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 12 May 2010). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of Participants With Stone Expulsion (time frame: 21 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00831701, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 May 2010.

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