Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of solifenacin, tamsulosin oralcontrolled
absorption system (OCAS), and the combination of both drugs on JJ
stent-related symptoms using the validated Arabic version of the ureteric stent symptom
questionnaire (USSQ).
Patients and methods: In all, 260 patients who had undergone JJ stenting of the
ureter for different endoscopic urological procedures were postoperatively randomly
assigned into four equal groups. Patients in Group I received no treatment and
served as the control group, Group II patients received tamsulosin OCAS 0.4 mg
daily, Group III patients received solifenacin 5 mg daily, and Group IV patients
received a combination of both drugs. Before stent removal, all patients completed
the Arabic version of the USSQ.
Results: In all, 234 patients completed the study, comprised of 56 in Group I, 59
in Group II, 58 in Group III, and 61 in Group IV. Baseline characteristics and indications
for JJ stenting were comparable in the four groups. There were highly signif- icant differences in all items of the USSQ between the treatment groups and the controls,
while Group II and III were comparable. The USSQ score was significantly
lower in Group IV vs Groups II and III. Crossing of the distal curl of the stent to
the midline had a significant positive correlation with the severity of the urinary
symptoms, body pain, general health, and work performance in the medicated
groups.
Conclusions: Combined therapy with tamsulosin OCAS 0.4 mg daily and solifenacin
5 mg daily is a safe and well-tolerated management for stent-related symptoms.
However, stent position remains a significant factor affecting response to
medical therapy and patients’ health-related quality of life.
2016 Arab Association of Urology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This
is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license |
