Is silodosin better than tadalafil as a medical expulsive therapy in lower ureter stones?

This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety of tadalafil and silodosin as medical expulsive therapy (MET) for lower ureteric stones below 10 mm. The study also assesses the incidence of adverse effects associated with each drug.

A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted up to October, 2024. The study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that compared tadalafil and silodosin in patients with lower ureteric stones (5-10 mm). The primary outcomes assessed were stone expulsion time (SET), stone expulsion rate (SER), and adverse effects. Data were analyzed using a random-effects model for heterogeneity and a fixed-effect model for non-heterogeneity.

Eight studies involving 797 patients were included. The pooled analysis showed no significant difference in SET between tadalafil and silodosin (MD = 0.15, 95% CI [-0.28, 0.57], p=0.50), with significant heterogeneity. Similarly, the pooled analysis showed no significant difference in SER between the two drugs (RR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.80 to 1.05], p=0.22), with heterogeneity. However, after excluding one study, silodosin was favored over tadalafil for SER (RR 0.88, 95% CI [0.79 to 0.98], p=0.02). There were no significant differences in headache, backache, or dizziness. Silodosin was associated with a higher incidence of orthostatic hypotension, but this was resolved by excluding one study. A significant difference for abnormal ejaculation favored tadalafil (RR = 0.16, 95% CI [0.09 to 0.29], p=0.01).

While the pooled results initially showed no significant difference in SET and SER, silodosin demonstrated a superior stone expulsion rate after adjusting for heterogeneity silodosin showed a trend towards shorter SET. However, silodosin was associated with a higher risk of orthostatic hypotension and abnormal ejaculation. Further high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings.