['Interest in perioperative fluid restriction has increased, but it could lead to hypovolaemia. Urine output is viewed as a surrogate for renal perfusion and is frequently used to guide perioperative fluid therapy. However, the rationale behind targeting oliguria reversal - achieving and maintaining urine output above a previously defined threshold by additional fluid boluses - is often questioned.', 'We assessed whether restrictive fluid management had an effect on oliguria, acute renal failure (ARF) and fluid intake. We also investigated whether targeting oliguria reversal affected these parameters.', 'Systematic review of randomised controlled trials with meta-analyses. We used the definitions of restrictive and conventional fluid management as provided by the individual studies.', 'We searched MEDLINE (1966 to present), EMBASE (1980 to present), and relevant reviews and articles.', 'We included randomised controlled trials with adult patients undergoing surgery comparing restrictive fluid management with a conventional fluid management protocol and also reporting the occurrence of postoperative ARF.', 'We included 15 studies with a total of 1594 patients. There was insufficient evidence to associate restrictive fluid management with an increase in oliguria [restrictive 83/186 vs. conventional 68/230; odds ratio (OR) 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97 to 4.44; P\u200a=\u200a0.06; I\u200a=\u200a23.7%; Nstudies\u200a=\u200a5]. The frequency of ARF in restrictive and conventional fluid management was 20/795 and 20/799, respectively (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.92; P\u200a=\u200a0.8; I\u200a=\u200a17.5%; Nstudies\u200a=\u200a15). There was no statistically significant difference in ARF occurrence between studies targeting oliguria reversal and not targeting oliguria reversal (OR 0.31; 95% CI, 0.08 to 1.22; P\u200a=\u200a0.088). Intraoperative fluid intake was 1.89\u200al lower in restrictive than in conventional fluid management when not targeting oliguria reversal (95% CI, -2.59 to -1.20\u200al; P\u200a<\u200a0.001; I\u200a=\u200a96.6%; Nstudies\u200a=\u200a7), and 1.63\u200al lower when targeting oliguria reversal (95% CI, -2.52 to -0.74\u200al; P\u200a<\u200a0.001; I\u200a=\u200a96.6%; Nstudies\u200a=\u200a6).'] Does targeting oliguria reversal in perioperative restrictive fluid management influence the occurrence of renal dysfunction : A systematic review and meta-analysis?