Soleimanpour et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:256 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/256 twenty, and thirty minutes after treatment, the patient’s VAS scores decreased to 6 of 10, 8 of 10, and 8 of 10, respectively. After lidocaine administration, the patient did not experience any adverse events. Because of his inconsistent response to lidocaine, this patient needed additional anodyne treatment. A KUB X-ray was requested immediately for this patient for further study, and a number of radiopaque stones were observed. Case 8 was a 35-year-old Iranian man who was referred to our emergency department because of refrac- tory renal colic (resistant to morphine and NSAIDs). The patient had a history of renal colic, and, in spite of receiving previous treatment with morphine and NSAIDs, he had no regression in pain degree (VAS score 8 of 10). His clinical examination revealed tender- ness in the right CVA radiating to the genitalia, which was associated with dysuria, urination frequency, nausea, and vomiting. Abundant RBCs were revealed by urinaly- sis, and moderate hydronephrosis of the right kidney was visualized by ultrasonography. Once his written consent was obtained, lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg was adminis- tered intravenously. Ten, twenty, and thirty minutes after treatment, the patient’s VAS scores decreased to 0 of 10, 0 of 10, and 0 of 10, respectively. After lidocaine administration, the patient experienced transient slur- ring of speech for less than one minute. The patient was followed up in the hospital until he was discharged. Fol- low-up was carried out for more than 24 hours by tele- phone while he was resting at home after discharge. This patient experienced renal colic and rated his pain as 3 of 10 on the VAS scale. His pain was relieved by administration of NSAIDs. On a planned KUB X-ray requested the day after his discharge from our emer- gency ward, a radiolucent stone was observed. Conclusion We have presented a short-lived but simple, inexpensive, low-risk, and effective technique for treating pain asso- ciated with intractable renal colic. Lidocaine is effective for treating patients with visceral or central pain [2]. Lidocaine has been hypothesized to alter sympathetic tone to the smooth muscle by suppressing transmission through afferent sensory pathways [9]. Parenteral lido- caine can reduce pain dramatically or subtly. Parenteral lidocaine is useful when opioids are ineffective or cause unacceptable adverse effects [2]. Consent Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompany- ing images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Page 4 of 4 Abbreviations KUB: kidney, ureter, and bladder X-ray; NSAIDs: non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs; RBC: red blood cell; RS: recurrent stone; VAS: Visual Analog Scale; FS: first stone. Author details 1Emergency Medicine Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah Street, Tabriz 51664, Iran. 2Urology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah Street, Tabriz 51664, Iran. 3Anesthesiology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah Street, Tabriz 51664, Iran. 4Department of Statistics, Tehran North Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Authors’ contributions HS, KH, DA, and HV collected clinical data, reviewed the literature on the topic, and drafted the manuscript. RME analyzed and interpreted the patient data. All of the authors were involved in patient management or the writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. 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Anesth Analg 1990, 70:414-419. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-5-256 Cite this article as: Soleimanpour et al.: Parenteral lidocaine for treatment of intractable renal colic: a case series. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:256. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color ﬁgure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit