Effectiveness of EMLA Cream Local Application vs Placebo in Increasing Efficiency of ESWL - A Prospective Study

Abstract

ESWL is a procedure commonly used for the treatment of urolithiasis. Usage of appropriate agents for increasing effectiveness of ESWL is still not standardised and a number of studies have been conducted for this purpose. We attempted to determine whether usage of EMLA cream is effective in ESWL for increasing efficacy. Our study investigated the effectiveness of EMLA cream alleviates pain in a population of 170 patients divided into two comparable populations, one in which EMLA was used and another with placebo over 18 months. We inferred that usage of EMLA is very effective for increasing the rate of stone fragmentation during ESWL with additional benefits of decreasing number of sittings, being cost effective, easy application and better patient acceptability.