Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29797065›Full record

ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2018

Pediatric intramedullary spinal cord tumor outcomes using the WeeFIM scale.

Thomas Noh, Manuel S Vogt, David W Pruitt, Trent R Hummel, Francesco T Mangano

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Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Clinical predictors of overall survival in pediatric patients with intramedullary spinal tumors: an analysis of the SEER database.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Thomas NohDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, 2799 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA.
Manuel S VogtDepartment of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
David W PruittDepartment of Rehabilitation, Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Trent R HummelCancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Francesco T ManganoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Francesco.mangano@cchmc.org.ORCID 0000-0003-2723-3771
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center · USHenry Ford Hospital · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) is a user-friendly functional outcomes tool that has been validated across other traditional functional scales. Historically, the significant neurologic and functional deficits of intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) have been monitored by coarse or overbearing functional outcomes tools that make it difficult to measure the slow improvement/decline seen in these patients. This study is the first to report WeeFIM outcomes on a series of IMSCTs with emphasis on an aggressive surgical strategy.

methodsA retrospective review from 2005 to 2014 was performed for nine patients who underwent resective surgery for intramedullary spinal cord tumors with intraoperative ultrasound and neurophysiologic monitoring. WeeFIM scales were assessed at admission and discharge to evaluate changes in severity of disability and need for assistance.

resultsAt the time of this submission, 7/9 patients are alive. The mean WeeFIM improvement was 27 points (8-50 points) with a mean WeeFIM efficiency of 2.0 points/day.

conclusionsThe WeeFIM scale is an appropriate and useful scale for measuring postoperative improvements in patients with IMSCTs undergoing aggressive resective surgery. Attention to intraoperative spinal cord monitoring and prevention of spinal column instability may prevent morbidity related to surgery, and functional outcomes do not appear to be compromised by an aggressive surgical approach.

Indexed as

Activities of Daily LivingAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLaminectomyMaleRetrospective StudiesSpinal Cord NeoplasmsTreatment OutcomeIntramedullary spinal cord tumorPediatric spinal tumorsSpinal ependymomaWeeFIM

Identifiers

PMID29797065
OpenAlexW2804371060

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.