A comparison of efficacy of doxazosin 4 and 8 mg in medical expulsive therapy of distal ureteral stones: a prospective randomized clinical trial

We aimed to investigate the efficacy of two different doses of doxazosin, 4 and 8 mg, in medical expulsive therapy (MET). This prospective randomized study included a total of 66 patients with distal ureteral stones which were radio-opaque and ≤10 mm. All patients were randomly divided into three groups: Group 1 included 25 patients receiving 4 mg doxazosin. Group 2 included 22 patients receiving 8 mg doxazosin. Diclofenac 100 mg p.o. and daily 1500–2000 cc hydration were advised to the patients in Groups 1 and 2 to relieve pain. Group 3 consisted of 19 patients who were defined as control group and received only hydration and analgesics. The mean age of the patients was 30 ± 7.6, 37.9 ± 11.5 and 33 ± 11.3 in Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3, respectively. The mean stone size was 6.6 ± 1.4, 7.1 ± 1.5 and 6.6 ± 1.5 in Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3, respectively. The stone expulsion rate of the patient groups was 18/25 (72 %), 15/22 (68.1 %) and 5/19 (25.3 %). There were significantly fewer pain episodes and lower analgesic requirement in Groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.021). However, the difference between Group 1 and Group 2 was non-significant (p = 0.207). Given the data of the present study, doxazosin, an alpha receptor blocker, exhibited equal efficacy with 4 or 8 mg doses in MET and was used safely and efficiently in ureteral stones <10 mm. The findings of the present study showed that 4 mg dose is effective, when doxazosin is preferred for MET.