4.3 Between-study heterogeneity
Between-study heterogeneity is common in meta-analysis.54 Moderate to high heterogeneity was found in this analysis of hysterectomy and the risk of ischemic heart disease. To explore the potential sources of between-study heterogeneity, we performed the subgroup analyses and meta-regressions with the covariates of publication year, continent and study design. However, we did not find the factors as the important determinants in the between-study heterogeneity.
We also conducted a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis to reduce the heterogeneity. After excluding two studies, the heterogeneity decreased and the results remained significant. It showed our result was stable.