Background
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare the safety and efficacy between the vacuum-assisted sheath and conventional sheath in minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) in the treatment of nephrolithiasis.
Methods
PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases (updated March 2021) were searched for studies assessing the effect of vacuum-assisted sheath in patients who underwent MPCNL. The search strategy and study selection processes were managed according to the PRISMA statement.
Results
Three randomized controlled trials and two case-controlled trials that satisfied the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Overall, the stone-free rate (SFR) in patients who underwent vacuum-assisted sheath was significantly higher than those who underwent conventional sheath (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.08,1.29; P = 0.0002), with insignificant heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 44%, P = 0.13). In terms of the outcome of complications, vacuum-assisted sheath could bring a benefit to the postoperative infection rate (RR = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.33,0.61; P < 0.00001) with insignificant heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 0%, P = 0.76). There was no significant difference in blood transfusion rate (RR = 0.54, 95%CI = 0.23,1.29; P = 0.17) with insignificant heterogeneity (I2 = 41%, P = 0.15,). Only two studies reported the perforation and the results were statistically insignificant (RR = 0.25, 95%CI = 0.05,1.17; P = 0.08) with insignificant heterogeneity (I2 = 0%, P = 0.43).
Conclusions
Using vacuum-assisted sheath in MPCNL improves the safety and efficiency compared to the conventional sheath. Vacuum-assisted sheath significantly increases the SFR and reduces complications like postoperative infection, blood transfusion, and perforation