Table 3.
Comparison of the patients baseline characteristics
| Baseline characteristic | No. of studies | CEUS-guided PCNL versus US-guided PCNL | Heterogeneity I2 (%) |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age WMD (95% CI) | 4 | − 1.87 (− 4.12 to 0.39) | 0 | 0.1 |
| BMI WMD (95% CI) | 4 | − 0.54 (− 1.11 to 0.03) | 0 | 0.06 |
| Gender (male) OR (95% CI) | 4 | 1.39 (0.87 to 2.22) | 0 | 0.16 |
| Left side OR (95% CI) | 4 | 1.02 (0.66 to 1.58) | 0 | 0.91 |
| Stone size WMD (95% CI) | 4 | 0.08 (− 0.12 to 0.27) | 0 | 0.45 |
CEUS: contrast-enhanced ultrasound; US: ultrasound; NA: not available; PCNL: percutaneous nephrolithotomy; BMI: body mass index; WMD: weight mean difference; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval