Management of urolithiasis in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Management of nephrolithiasis is unique in pregnancy and requires multidisciplinary care. To identify the effectiveness or safety of temporary drainage or definitive treatment methods to manage urolithiasis in pregnancy.

The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies was conducted in August 2021. Studies published in any language on any date were considered for inclusion.

Of a total of 3349 publications, 36 studies were included in our qualitative evaluation and 32 studies in the quantitative synthesis. The commonly reported method was stent insertion (n = 29 studies), pneumatic (n = 12), laser (n = 9) lithotripsy, and stone removal using any devices (basket, grasper, or forceps) (n = 11). In seven studies, the authors reported the outcomes of conservative management, and the results showed that the stone-free rate is 54%, and symptom relief occurred in 62% of women. Seven eligible studies reported that 79.9% of urolithiasis were expulsed through stent insertion, while this rate was 94.6% among percutaneous nephrostomy use in two included studies, 88.5% for pneumatic lithotripsy (n = 7 studies), and 76.4% for laser lithotripsy (n = 4 studies), or 95.4% for stone removal method. In addition, adverse events were reported in less than 10% of pregnant women.

The results showed that stent, pneumatic or laser lithotripsy, and ureteroscopic stone removal were the commonest used methods in the included studies. They can be effective and safe treatment approaches without major maternal or neonatal complications, and could be introduced as an effective and safe therapeutic method for urolithiasis during pregnancy. However, most of the included studies had moderate quality according to critical appraisal checklists. Further prospective studies are needed to reach a conclusion.