Stone Clearance in Patients with Upper Ureteric Stones Using Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Compared with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Combined with Tamsulosin Therapy

Objective: To assess its role in stone clearance along with ESWLin patients with upper ureteric stones. Method: This clinical trial was conducted from February 2018 to December 2021 at the Department of Urology, Services Hospital Lahore.. Atotal of 164 patients (82 in each group) of both sexes between the ages of 18 and 70 years with upper ureteric stone (6mm-15mm) were included in this study. These patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in group A received ESWL alone, while patients in group B received ESWL in combination with tamsulosin therapy. Follow-up visits with CT KUB Plain were planned 4 weeks postoperatively to assess stone clearance Results: The mean age of patients was 44.01±10.88 years. The study included 124 (75.6%) male and 40 (24.4%) female patients. The mean size of stones was 9.59±2.72 mm. Both the groups were comparable in terms of mean age (p=0.539), mean stone size (p=0.936), age groups (p=0.507), stone size groups (p=0.817), and gender distribution (p=0.631). The stone clearance rate was significantly higher in patients treated with ESWLin combination with tasmsulosin therapy (92.7% vs. 65.9%; p=0.003) compared to ESWLalone. Conclusion: The clearance rate was significantly higher in patients treated with ESWL in combination with tasmsulosin therapy compared to ESWLalone.