A comparative study on the use of tamsulosin versus alfuzosin in spontaneous micturition recovery after transurethral catheter removal in patients with benign prostatic growth.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin and alfuzosin in patients with acute urinary retention (AUR) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).


METHODS
Ninety men with AUR due to BPH underwent urinary catheterization and were randomly assigned to treatment groups with tamsulosin 0.4 mg (37 patients), alfuzosin 10 mg (34 patients), and placebo (19 patients). After 4 days of the drug treatment, the catheters were removed, and the patients underwent trial without catheter (TWOC). A TWOC was considered successful if the patient had a voided volume >100 ml and post-void residual urine <200 ml.


RESULTS
TWOC was successful in 16 patients (43.2 %) in the tamsulosin group, 12 patients (35.2 %) in the alfuzosin group, and 5 patients (26.3 %) in the placebo group. Logistic regression analysis showed that both drugs were equally effective and that the type of alpha-blocker was not a predictive factor for TWOC success (OR 1.137, 95 % CI 0.639-2.022) (p = 0.662).


CONCLUSIONS
Even though there were no statistically significant differences when comparing the three groups, tamsulosin showed a tendency to be more effective in a successful catheter removal. The lack of objective criteria in the definition of successful micturition leads us to believe that the effectiveness of both drugs reported in the literature is overestimated.
Department of Urology, Hospital General de México, O.D. Dr. Balmis 148, Col. Doctores, Del. Cuauhtémoc, C.P 06800, Mexico City, DF, Mexico, mimalavi@yahoo.com.
Miguel
M
Maldonado-Ávila
Hugo A
HA
Manzanilla-García
José A
JA
Sierra-Ramírez
José D
JD
Carrillo-Ruiz
Juan C
JC
González-Valle
Emanuelle
E
Rosas-Nava
José
J
Guzman-Esquivel
Isaac R
IR
Labra-Salgado
D000208:Acute Disease; D058668:Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D020878:Device Removal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications*; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077409:Tamsulosin; D014546:Urinary Catheterization; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D014554:Urination
D058668:Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists; D011799:Quinazolines; D013449:Sulfonamides; C047638:alfuzosin; D000077409:Tamsulosin