An updated meta-analysis of laparoscopic versus open pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction in children.

PURPOSE To further explore the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction compared with open pyeloplasty (OP). METHODS PUBMED, Web of science and Cochrane library were searched until Oct. 2014 to find eligible studies. WMD, OR, RD and their 95% CIs were used to estimate the difference. Baseline such as age, gender and crossing vessel, perioperative outcomes such as length of stay, operative time, overall complications, and success rate were compared. All the meta-analyses were performed in Revman 5.2. RESULTS 15 comparative studies and one RCT were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. Compared with OP, LP groups might be associated with shorted length of hospital stay (WMD: -1.92, 95% CI: -2.45--1.39), reduced complications (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.49-1.01) and equal success rate (RD: 0.01, 95% CI: -0.02-0.04), but prolonged operative time (WMD: 48.64, 95% CI: 31.16-66.12). CONCLUSION Our findings supported that laparoscopic pyeloplasty is feasibility and safety in the treatment of UPJ obstruction in children, especially in high-volume centers with experienced experts. Considering the select bias and recall bias, more RCTs are required to further explore the efficiencies of LP.