SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2018
The impact of surgeon volume on patient outcome in spine surgery: a systematic review.
Synthesis in 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, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of hospital volume on outcomes of total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2019Pooled it
- Adoption of intraoperative mechanomyography as a spinal decompression endpoint: A single-surgeon comparison by era.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Factors Affecting Outcomes in Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery.The Laryngoscope · 2026Article
- Robotic Assistance for Low-Volume Total Knee Arthroplasty Surgeons Is Associated With Comparable Perioperative Outcomes Related to Those of High-Volume Surgeons Using Conventional Techniques.Arthroplasty today · 2026Article
- Length of stay after lumbar decompressive surgery: prediction model, clinical reasons for prolonged stay, and association of prolonged stay with outcomes.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
- Impact of Surgeon Procedural Volume on Outcomes Following Cervical Disc Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Cureus · 2026Article
- Surgeon Skill Level, Experience, and Impact on Patient Outcomes: Rethinking Research Paradigms in Spine Surgery.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- Article
- Risk Factors for Rod Fracture at ≥L4-5 Levels Following Long-Segment Fusion for Adult Spinal Deformity: Results from Segment-Based Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Experience Matters: An Application of the Operative Value Index for Lumbar Fusions.Neurosurgical review · 2025Article
- Determining the learning curve for percutaneous endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion for lumbar degenerative diseases.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2023Article
- Surgeon specialty effect on early outcomes of elective posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a propensity-matched analysis of 965 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 · 2022Article
- Surgeon volume and the risk of deep surgical site infection following open reduction and internal fixation of closed tibial plateau fracture.International orthopaedics · 2022Article
- Early Outcomes of Elective Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion for Degenerative Spine Disease Correlate With the Specialty of the Surgeon Performing the Procedure.Neurosurgery · 2022Article
- Critically Low Confidence in the Results Produced by Spine Surgery Systematic Reviews: An AMSTAR-2 Evaluation From 4 Spine Journals.Global spine journal · 2020Article
- Impact of insurance on hospital course and readmission after resection of benign meningioma.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2020Article
- The impact of anesthesia and surgical provider characteristics on outcomes after spine 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 · 2019Article
- Article
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 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeRecently, strategies aimed at optimizing provider factors have been proposed, including regionalization of surgeries to higher volume centers and adoption of volume standards. With limited literature promoting the regionalization of spine surgeries, we undertook a systematic review to investigate the impact of surgeon volume on outcomes in patients undergoing spine surgery.
methodsWe performed a systematic review examining the association between surgeon volume and spine surgery outcomes. To be included in the review, the study population had to include patients undergoing a primary or revision spinal procedure. These included anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), anterior/posterior cervical fusion, laminectomy/decompression, anterior/posterior lumbar decompression with fusion, discectomy, and spinal deformity surgery (spine arthrodesis).
resultsStudies were variable in defining surgeon volume thresholds. Higher surgeon volume was associated with a significantly lower risk of postoperative complications, a lower length of stay (LOS), lower cost of hospital stay and a lower risk of readmissions and reoperations/revisions.
conclusionsFindings suggest a trend towards better outcomes for higher volume surgeons; however, further study needs to be carried out to define objective volume thresholds for individual spine surgeries for surgeons to use as a marker of proficiency.
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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.