The effectiveness of augmented reality assisted technology on LPN: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In this study, we aimed to examine the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR)-assisted technology in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) compared to conventional technique.

We performed a systematic search through the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Wanfang for eligible studies published up to 30 September 2021. The literature quality was independently evaluated by two investigators, and all statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 12.0 (STATA Corporation, Houston, TX, USA). According to the different surgical techniques and surgical risks, the included articles were divided into two subgroups.

The reviewed studies included five retrospective comparative studies (RCS), two prospective controlled studies (PCS), one randomized controlled trial (RCT) including 548 patients. The AR-assisted LPN had following distinctive advantages compared to conventional nephrectomy: shorter procedure times and lower intraoperative blood loss. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in margin-positive resection rate, warm ischemia time, complications, eGFR decline and length of stay between these two technologies.

Compared to the conventional technique, AR-assisted LPN appears to be a preferable treatment. However, a high degree of statistical heterogeneity was observed in the meta-analysis. Well-designed prospective trials and large-scale RCTs are needed to draw definitive findings from this analysis.