ObjectiveTo systematically review the effect of clamping catheter and free drainage for patients with neurogenic bladder with indwelling catheter. MethodsThe PubMed, EMbase, CINAHL, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the objects from inception to January 8, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 7 RCTs involving 586 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that clamping catheter significantly reduced time of first void (SMD=−1.03, 95%CI −1.71 to −0.36, P=0.03) and increased volume of first void (MD=52.72, 95%CI 28.84 to 76.59, P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference in residual urine volume, incidence of urinary retention or urinary tract infection between the two groups. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that the advantage of clamping catheter for patients with neurogenic bladder with indwelling catheter is not obvious. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.