Sterile water injections for analgesia in renal colic: a meta-analysis of level 1 evidence

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Renal colic affects approximately 12% of the global population, causing severe pain and nausea due to kidney and ureteric stones.
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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the preferred first-line analgesics for renal colic, but they have potential side effects.
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Sterile water injections (SWIs) have shown promise in providing pain relief for renal colic with fewer side effects compared to conventional analgesics.
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The quality of evidence for SWIs in renal colic varies, with a lack of rigorous comparisons to NSAIDs and opioids.
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A systematic review is needed to evaluate the efficacy of SWIs against standard analgesic treatments for managing renal colic pain.

World Journal Of Urology

by Ioannis Perros, Balamrit Singh Sokhal, Christopher Swift, Mark Kitchen, Christian Mallen, Bhaskar Somani
September 16, 2025

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