Patients
The MECThis study adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and the STROBE statement. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Hiroshima University (approval number, E-2180) and the study was registered as a clinical trial (registry, University hospital Medical Information Network; registration number, UMIN000047425; principal investigator’s name, Noboru Saeki; and date of registration, April 8, 2022).