Comparison between flexible and navigable suction ureteral access sheath and standard ureteral access sheath during flexible ureteroscopy for the management of kidney stone: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) is a commonly chosen technique for kidney stone treatment. The use of ureteral access sheaths (UAS) enhances both access and the procedure's effectiveness. This study performs a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of flexible and navigable suction UAS (FANS-UAS) versus standard UAS (S-UAS) in FURS.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis involved searching databases such as PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science until October 2024. The results were categorized into two groups: FANS-UAS as the intervention and S-UAS as the control. The outcomes measured included stone-free rate (SFR), duration of lithotripsy, length of hospitalization, and incidence of complications.

Findings: Eight studies were incorporated into the analysis. The findings revealed that the SFR on the first day in the intervention group was over twice that of the control group (RR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.13-3.98, P = 0.019). Furthermore, the SFR during follow-up was 15% greater in the intervention group than in the control group (RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.06-1.25, P = 0.0008), with these differences being statistically significant. However, the standardized mean differences for the outcomes of duration of lithotripsy and postoperative hospitalization between the groups were minimal and not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The intervention group had 67% fewer fevers (RR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.22-0.48, P < 0.001) and 43% fewer cases of sepsis (RR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.23-1.39, P = 0.215) than the control group.

Conclusion: Use of FANS-UAS significantly improves both first-day SFR and follow-up SFR. It is superior to S-UAS in minimizing postoperative complications. Both these factors contribute to significantly improved perioperative outcomes in flexible ureteroscopy.