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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Surg.

Sec. Genitourinary Surgery and Interventions

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1422660

Comparison of Regional and General Anesthesia for Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Yen Ho Yen Ho 1Yu-Ching Wen Yu-Ching Wen 1,2Liang-Ming Lee Liang-Ming Lee 1Ke-Hsun Lin Ke-Hsun Lin 1Chi-Hao Hsiao Chi-Hao Hsiao 1,2Syuan-Hao Syu Syuan-Hao Syu 1Benjamin Chung-Howe Lai Benjamin Chung-Howe Lai 1Cho-Hsing Chung Cho-Hsing Chung 1Yung-Wei Lin Yung-Wei Lin 1,2*
  • 1 Taipei Muncipal Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
  • 2 Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taipei County, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for urolithiasis under different anesthesia methods based on current evidence.In March 2022, systematic research was conducted using the databases PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library to compare outcomes of RIRS with regional anesthesia (RA) or general anesthesia (GA) through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Data analysis was performed using the comprehensive meta-analysis software version 3.Eight RCTs and one retrospective study, involving a total of 2,111 individuals, were included in the current review. Pooled data revealed no significant statistical differences in RIRS under RA compared to RIRS under GA in terms of stone-free rate (SFR) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.02, p = 0.94), operating duration (weighted mean difference [MD] = -0.04, p = 0.88), length of hospital stay (MD = -0.05, p = 0.63), postoperative first-day visual analog scale score (MD = 0.18, p = 0.30), and complication rates (OR = 0.83, p = 0.20). However, one of the RCTs reviewed showed a potential negative effect of GA on the renal function at the operative site. Maneuverability and accessibility were found to be significantly better with SA and sedation than with GA. Additionally, the cost of GA was noted to be significantly higher than that of RA, according to more than one RCT.The present study revealed that RIRS under RA is not inferior in effectiveness and safety compared to that under GA, in terms of SFR, operating time, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain scores, and complication rates. Moreover, RA may offer better long-term renal function preservation and be more cost effective than GA. To improve maneuverability and accessibility for operators, we suggested that RA with sedation could be a suitable alternative with careful patient selection.

    Keywords: Urolithiasis, Anesthesia, Renal function, Retrospective study, Visual Analog Scale, Retrograde intrarenal surgery, Meta-analysis

    Received: 24 Apr 2024; Accepted: 18 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Ho, Wen, Lee, Lin, Hsiao, Syu, Lai, Chung and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yung-Wei Lin, Taipei Muncipal Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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