ArticleActa orthopaedica2011
Would loss to follow-up bias the outcome evaluation of patients operated for degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine?
Article in Acta orthopaedica, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02889484 (Outcome of Surgery for Sciatica - a Comparison of Data From Three National Quality Registries), which is not on this map. Cited by 93 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Outcome of Surgery for Sciatica - a Comparison of Data From Three National Quality Registries
Who cites it
93 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 162 citations in OpenAlex.
- Loss to follow-up in orthopaedic clinical trials: a systematic review.International orthopaedics · 2016Pooled it
- Evidence and practice in spine registries.Acta orthopaedica · 2015Pooled it
- Randomized controlled comparison of cross-sectional survey approaches to optimize follow-up completeness in clinical studies.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Minimally invasive decompression versus open laminectomy for central stenosis of the lumbar spine: pragmatic comparative effectiveness study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2015Trial
- Impact of obesity on patient-reported outcome measures and complications following anterior cervical surgery for cervical spondylosis: A cohort study Of 7,993 patients.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Clinical Features of Older Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Who Discontinued Postoperative Follow-Up.Spine surgery and related research · 2026Article
- Article
- Generalisable prediction models for outcomes after lumbar spinal stenosis surgery: a model development and external validation study.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Loss to follow-up after lumbar decompressive surgery: effect of collection method and perioperative factors on patient-reported outcome measures.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Development of machine learning models for predicting patient-perceived benefit following lumbar disc herniation or spinal stenosis surgery.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Midline-preserving vs. midline-removing surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis: national registry study based on the Finnish spine registry (FinSpine).European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Article
- Applicability of randomized controlled trial evidence on surgery for lumbar disc herniations to clinical reality: a comparison with the nationwide FinSpine registry.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- The impact of elective spine surgery in Canada for degenerative conditions on patient reported health-related quality of life outcomes.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Prospective Preference Assessment of a Pharmacological Clinical Trial to Alter the Progression of Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis After ACL Reconstruction.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- 1-year results of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery in Finland: a national FinSpine register study.Acta orthopaedica · 2025Article
- Outcome measures after anterior cervical decompression and fusion surgery -non-respondents do not bias the results: A Finnish spine register (FinSpine) study.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- Feasibility of embedding orthopaedic clinical trials into national registries: a pilot quality improvement study for the UK Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry (UK-NAHR).Journal of hip preservation surgery · 2024Article
- Postoperative complications after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, assessment using two different data sources.Acta neurochirurgica · 2024Article
- Long-term comparison of anterior (ALIF) versus transforaminal (TLIF) lumbar interbody fusion: a propensity score-matched register-based study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Article
33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeLoss to follow-up may bias the outcome assessments of clinical registries. In this study, we wanted to determine whether outcomes were different in responding and non-responding patients who were included in a clinical spine surgery registry, at two years of follow-up. In addition, we wanted to identify risk factors for failure to respond.
methods633 patients who were operated for degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine were followed for 2 years using a local clinical spine registry. Those who did not attend the clinic and those who did not answer a postal questionnaire-for whom 2 years of outcome data were missing-and who would be lost to follow-up according to the standard procedures of the registry protocols, were defined as non-respondents. They were traced and interviewed by telephone. Outcome measures were: improvement in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), leg pain, and back pain; and also general state of health, employment status, and perceived benefits of the operation.
resultsWe found no statistically significant differences in outcome between respondents (78% of the patients) and non-respondents (22%). Receipt of postal questionnaires (not being summoned for a follow-up visit) was the strongest risk factor for failure to respond. Forgetfulness appeared to be an important cause. Older patients and those who had complications were more likely to respond.
interpretationA loss to follow-up of 22% would not bias conclusions about overall treatment effects and, importantly, there were no indications of worse outcomes in non-respondents.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.