Antidiuretic hormone levels and the effect of indomethacin on ureteral colic.

We treated 25 patients with ureteral colic and urographically verified stones with 50 mg. indomethacin intravenously. Pain was relieved completely in 17 patients, while in 8 incomplete or no pain relief was achieved after the infusion of indomethacin. Patients completely relieved of pain had significantly higher levels of antidiuretic hormone in plasma before the infusion of indomethacin (18.2 plus or minus 3.4 pg./ml.) than patients with incomplete or no pain relief (7.2 plus or minus 1.3 pg./ml.) (p less than 0.01). These findings indicate that the volume status and/or the level of antidiuretic hormone may be of critical importance for pain relief after infusion of indomethacin in patients with ureteral colic.