Silodosin Versus Tamsulosin for Treatment of Ureteral Stones

Ureteral calculi, commonly known as kidney stones, are a frequent cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits. These stones can get caught in the ureter (the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder) and cause symptoms including pain, nausea, and vomiting. As long as the obstructing stone meets certain conditions and the patient isn't too sick, the patient is usually sent home to try and pass the stone without surgery. This treatment is known as medical expulsive therapy (MET), and routinely involves the use of a drug called tamsulosin, which relaxes the smooth muscle of the urinary system to help the stone pass. Silodosin is a drug in the same class of tamsulosin, but which is thought to have a more selective action and a quicker onset, which would theoretically make it better for aiding in kidney stone passage. The purpose of this study is a head-to-head, blinded comparison of these two drugs to see how quickly they result in stone passage. Subjects are patients presenting to the ED with acute kidney stone shown by CT scan, and who are appropriate for MET. The main study intervention is randomization to receiving either tamsulosin or silodosin. The hypothesis is that silodosin will have decreased time to stone passage compared to tamsulosin. Subjects who qualify and consent are randomized to a two-week course of either silodosin or tamsulosin. They are also given prescriptions for standard of care medications for pain and nausea, as well as a pain diary. They receive a follow-up phone call after one week to remind them of their follow-up appointment, ask about adverse events, and determine if their stone has passed. They have a follow-up visit with study staff at the end of their two week treatment to collect their pain diary, pill count, adverse events, and to determine if their stone has passed. Study participation ends after this follow-up visit.