Preoperative alpha-blockers to facilitate ureteral access sheath (UAS) insertion: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Recent studies have proposed the use of preoperative alpha-blockers to facilitate urethral access sheath (UAS) placement, but the definite role of this practice is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alpha-blocker use for UAS placement in intrarenal endoscopic procedures. Methods: The course of this study followed the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses guidelines. Articles investigating the use of preoperative alpha-blockers for patients who underwent intrarenal endoscopic procedures were systematically reviewed from PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied for the outcome estimates. Analyses were performed with RevMan 5.4 software. The protocol of this study is enlisted in the registry of PROSPERO (CRD42022342811). Results: Six articles comprising 462 study populations were included in the review. Meta-analysis on the success rate of UAS placement showed a significant advantage of the alpha-blocker group compared to the control group (OR: 3.83; 1.83-8.00; 95% CI; p = 0.0004). Ureteral wall trauma was higher in the control group (OR: 0.38; 0.17-0.84; 95% CI; p = 0.02). Furthermore, there was no clear association between the UAS size and the success rate of UAS insertion. Conclusion: Preoperative alpha-blockers may increase the success rate of UAS insertion while decreasing the risk of ureteral wall injury in intrarenal endoscopic procedures.