Retrograde intrarenal surgery with flexible and navigable suction access sheaths vs mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy for large upper urinary tract stones: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To conduct a meta-analysis comparing the efficacy and perioperative outcomes of contemporary flexible and navigable suction access sheath-assisted retrograde intrarenal surgery (FANS-RIRS) against percutaneous nephrolithotomy (percutaneous nephrolithotomy) for the management of large upper urinary tract stones, as despite technological advances in RIRS such as high-powered lasers and FANS that have substantially enhanced its performance, current guidelines continue to recommend percutaneous nephrolithotomy as first-line treatment for renal stones >2cm.