Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30598296›Full record

SynthesisThe Journal of emergency medicine2019

Blunt Thoracolumbar-Spine Trauma Evaluation in the Emergency Department: A Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Accuracy for History, Physical Examination, and Imaging.

James VandenBerg, Kevin Cullison, Susan A Fowler, Matthew S Parsons, Christopher M McAndrew, Christopher R Carpenter

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The Journal of emergency medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% 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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  3. Review
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  5. Review
  6. Review
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  8. Article
  9. Diagnostic accuracy of clinical examination to identify life- and limb-threatening injuries in trauma patients.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023
    Article
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  14. Review
  15. Observational
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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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

James VandenBergDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Kevin CullisonDivision of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Susan A FowlerBernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Matthew S ParsonsDepartment of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Christopher M McAndrewDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Christopher R CarpenterDivision of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Washington University in St. Louis · USUniversity of Pittsburgh · US

Funding

WU INSTITUTE OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCESUL1TR002345 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI William G. Powderly · 2017 to 2026
$97.8M
Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational SciencesUL1TR000448 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI EVANOFF, BRADLEY A · 2012 to 2016
$41.4M
Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (TL1)TL1TR002344 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Jay F. Piccirillo · 2017 to 2026
$8.5M
Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational SciencesTL1TR000449 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI EVANOFF, BRADLEY A · 2012 to 2016
$2.5M
NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR000449NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR002344NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000448NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002345
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDelayed diagnoses of unstable thoracolumbar spine (TL-spine) fractures can result in neurologic deficits and avoidable pain, so it is important for clinicians to reach prompt diagnostic decisions. There are no validated decision aids for determining which trauma patients warrant TL-spine imaging.

objectiveOur aim was to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the injury mechanism, physical examination, associated injuries, clinical decision aids, and imaging for evaluating blunt TL-spine trauma patients.

methodsA search strategy for studies including adult blunt TL-spine trauma using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed. Excluded studies lacked data to construct 2 × 2 tables, were duplicates, were not primary research, did not focus on blunt trauma, examined associated injuries without any utility in identifying TL-spine injuries, only studied cervical-spine fractures, were non-English, had a pediatric setting, or were cadaver/autopsy reports. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. Diagnostic predictors were analyzed with a meta-analysis of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios.

resultsIn blunt trauma patients in the emergency department, the weighted pretest probability of a TL-spine fracture was 15%. The estimates for detection of TL-spine fractures with plain film were: positive likelihood ratio (+LR) = 25.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.1-152.2; I

conclusionsCT is more accurate than plain films for detecting TL-spine fractures. Injury mechanism, physical examination, and associated injuries alone are not accurate to rule-in or rule-out TL-spine fractures.

Indexed as

Delayed DiagnosisDiagnostic ImagingDiagnostic Tests, RoutineHumansLumbar VertebraeMedical History TakingPhysical ExaminationRadiographyThoracic VertebraeTomography, X-Ray ComputedWounds and Injuriesblunt traumacomputed tomographydiagnostic imagingradiographyspine trauma

Identifiers

PMID30598296
PMCPMC6369004
OpenAlexW2908261495

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.