BackgroundMalignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) is a common presentation in
advanced urological and non-urological malignancies. Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) and
retrograde ureteral stent (RUS) are the most commonly performed procedures to relieve
the obstruction. The comparative effectiveness of PCN and RUS for decompression of MUO
remains uncertain.PurposeTo systematically review the literature for evidence of
improved efficacy of one of these procedures in terms of renal function preservation and
clinical outcomes.MethodsWe searched Ovid Medline, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central
Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Scopus from the date of inception to
October 2022. In addition, gray literature was searched through OpenGray
(https://opengrey.eu/), dissertation and thesis database (ProQuest) via
(https://www.proquest.com), and Clinical trial.gov website. The reference lists of all
the included studies were also searched.Two reviewers independently reviewed and
selected studies, assessed the quality, and extracted the data.ResultsOverall, 25
eligible studies including 1864 patients compared PCN and RUS (head-to-head). PCN and
RUS were found to be similarly effective in improving renal function. However, PCN
appears to be superior in maintaining this reduction. The complication rate and quality
of life were comparable between the 2 methods, but the length of hospital stay and the
financial cost were significantly higher in the PCN group. The mean technical success
rate in RUS was 70.3% (21% to 100%) and in PCN was 98.8% (90% to 100%). The conversion
rate from RUS to PCN ranged from 10% to 42.6% (mean = 22.5%), while internalization of
the PCN occurred in 11.7% to 98% of the patients (mean = 45.5%).ConclusionsBoth
diversional methods are effective in management of MUO. However, because of the
heterogeneity of the included studies, the superiority of one of the procedures cannot
be concluded.