Role of Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors in Renal Colic Pain Reduction and Improvement: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials

Renal colic is an irritating condition that develops after obstruction of the ureter. Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors are types of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that have beneficial role in treatment various diseases. Hence, this systematic review summarizes the current knowledge about the role of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors as painkiller in renal colic pain management. The present systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statements. Until September 2022, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched using the relevant keywords including “Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors”, “Parecoxib”, “Celecoxib”, “Rofecoxib”, “Renal Colic Pain” and “Ureteral Colic Pain”. Of 64 identified records through database searching, 6 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected for this systematic review. The sample size in RCTs were between 53 and 338. The range of subject’s age was from 18 to 69. Overall, the evidence of this review revealed that the selective COX-2 inhibitors particularly celecoxib and parecoxib could alleviate renal colic pain in most of the studies through decreasing relevant pain score. Overall, selective COX-2 inhibitors seem to be effective in alleviating renal colic pain. However, further high quality assessments are required for demonstrating therapeutic role of selective COX-2 inhibitors against renal colic pain.