2.1 Study design
This retrospective, nationwide, multicentre, comparative effectiveness
study assessed the influence of hospital manipulator preference for IU
manipulators or non-IU manipulators on oncological outcome in a large
cohort of EEC patients. All patients with early-stage, low-grade EEC who
received TLH between 01-01-2010 and 31-12-2020 within the Netherlands
were included. Inclusion criteria were: i) histologically confirmed
grade 1 or 2 EEC; ii) Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)
stage I; and iii) surgery performed by laparoscopy or robotic-assisted
laparoscopy. Exclusion criteria were: i) patients younger than 18 years;
ii) patients with concurrent adnexal malignancy; and iii) patients with
missing histopathology report. Eligible patients were categorized based
on manipulator preference of the hospital at which they received
surgery.