A retrospective analysis of nebulized versus intravenous fentanyl for renal colic.

Study Objective: To assess the effectiveness of nebulized fentanyl used for analgesia in renal colic.

Materials/methods: This research was planned as a randomized, blinded study in which prospectively collected data were analyzed retrospectively to compare nebulized and intravenous (iv) fentanyl therapies. Patients with renal colic with 'moderate' or worse pain on a four-point verbal pain score (VPS) or with pain of 20mm or above on a 100-mm visual analogue score (VAS) at time of presentation were randomized into iv fentanyl (n=62) or nebulized fentanyl (n=53) study groups.