Urological applications of butorphanol tartrate: postoperative pain and renal colic

The analgesic efficacy and safety of butorphanol tartrate are discussed in 2 groups of patients who underwent urological procedures. The first group of 83 patients is presented as a retrospective review of the postoperative use of butorphanol. The second group of patients was involved in a double-blind, randomized comparative trial of butorphanol (2 or 4 mg) and meperidine (80 mg) for the relief of moderate to severe pain due to renal colic. Eighty-three patients with documented upper urinary tract calculi were evaluated for efficacy; 120 patients were evaluated for safety. Butorphanol 4 mg (i.m.) was more effective than butorphanol 2 mg (i.m.) and equivalent to meperidine 80 mg (i.m.). There were no statistically significant differences among the three treatment groups in regard to side effects. Overall, in the urology patients studied, butorphanol was found to be an effective and well tolerated agent that possesses important safety advantages when compared with the narcotic analgesics.