Effect assessment of laparoscopy in combination with traditional Chinese medicine decoction in the treatment of endometriosis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis (EMs) affects about 10% of women of childbearing age. It is defined as functional endometrial tissue appearing in other parts of the uterine cavity, manifested by varying degrees of pelvic pain and pelvic mass, etc. Therefore, to improve the therapeutic effect of endometriosis, we must constantly explore new ways to treat the disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the combined use of laparoscopy and traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with EMs. METHODS: A systematic literature search will be conducted at China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang databases, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library. The search period limit is from the time the date of database establishment to June 21, 2021. To ensure the comprehensiveness of the search, relevant references and conference literature are also included. The risk of bias in the final included studies will be evaluated based on the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The RevMan software will be employed to perform data synthesis and statistical analysis. RESULTS: The effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic surgery combined with traditional Chinese medicine decoction in the treatment of patients with EMs will be systematically evaluated. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide strong evidence for judging whether laparoscopy combined with traditional Chinese medicine decoction is an effective strategy for the treatment of patients with EMs.