Abstract
Background This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the outcomes of the staged laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens Laparoscopic Orchiopexy (FSLO) and Staged Laparoscopic Traction Orchiopexy (SLTO) in patients with intra-abdominal testes (IAT). Methods This study reviewed literature published from 2016 to 2024. A systematic literature search was conducted on three databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, using keywords (High intra abdominal testis) AND (("Fowler Stephens laparoscopic orchiopexy" OR (FSLO)) OR (Staged Laparoscopic traction orchiopexy OR (SLTO)). Non-randomized trials and observational studies comparing staged laparoscopic FSLO and SLTO, without any time range restriction are included. Studies without FLSO orchidopexy as a control, case reports, case studies, duplicate publication, no full text and non-English studies are excluded. This study used the PRISMA protocol, the Jadad Scale, and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) to evaluate the included studies. To analyze statistical data, the Review Manager (RevMan) software was used. The Chi-squared test was used to calculate statistical heterogeneity in the meta-analysis. Results There were 240 patients from 5 studies (109 in the SLTO group and 131 FSLO in group). The primary outcome of this study is testicular descent and atrophy. There were no significant differences in testicular descent (RR:1.08[0.96 – 1.23],p<0.20,I2:0%) and atrophy rate (RR:0.45[0.19 – 1.09],p<0.08,I2:0%). Secondary outcomes are the duration of operation in both the first and second stages. Statistical analysis reveals a significantly lower first-stage operation time in the FSLO group (MD:9.31[7.08,11.55], p<0.05;I2:94%). At the same time, lower second-stage operation times are significantly reported in the SLTO group (MD:-4.05[-7.99,-0.12],p<0.05; I2:60%). Conclusions In terms of testicular descent and testicular atrophy the SLTO technique yields similar results to the FSLO technique. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages, and we recommend SLTO as the first choice in children with a high IAT of <4 cm. PROSPERO registration CRD42023412407