Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31337417›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2019

Surgical treatment of thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis-a multicentre, retrospective, case-control study.

Yong Tang, Wen-Jie Wu, Sen Yang, Dong-Gui Wang, Qiang Zhang, Xun Liu, Tian-Yong Hou, Fei Luo, Ze-Hua Zhang, Jian-Zhong Xu

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. Study on the Association Network of Tuberculosis Lesions in Adult Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in China: A Large-Scale Multicenter Observational Study.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2025
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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

10 authors.

Yong TangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Wen-Jie WuDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Sen YangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Dong-Gui WangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Qiang ZhangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Xun LiuDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Tian-Yong HouDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Fei LuoDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Ze-Hua ZhangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China. zhangzehuatmmu@163.com.
Jian-Zhong XuDepartment of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, No.30, Gaotanyan Street, District of Shapingba, Chongqing, 400038, China. xujzspine@126.com.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 81772365
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe purpose of this multicentre, retrospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different surgical approaches for treating thoracolumbar tuberculosis.

methodsThis study reviewed 132 patients with thoracolumbar tuberculosis in six institutions between January 1999 and January 2015 surgically treated by an anterior-only approach (n = 22, group A), an anterior combined with posterior approach (n = 79, group B), and a posterior-only approach (n = 31, group C). All patients were treated with standard antituberculosis drugs pre- and postoperatively and were followed regularly after surgery. Clinical symptoms, nerve function, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate were observed, and kyphosis correction and bone fusion were evaluated by X-ray or computed tomography.

resultsAt the last follow-up, all patients had achieved bone fusion, relief from pain, and neurological recovery. The Cobb angle was improved; however, the Cobb angle showed a degree of loss at the final follow-up after all three surgical approaches. Further comparisons revealed a difference in angle loss at the final follow-up among the three groups; groups B and C were superior to group A in maintenance of the correction. The posterior-only approach was characterized by a shorter operative time and reduced blood loss.

conclusionsSurgery by a posterior-only approach is superior to that by an anterior-only approach and anterior combined with posterior approach in terms of permanent kyphosis correction and spinal stability maintenance. Therefore, we recommend surgery by a posterior-only approach as the optimized treatment for thoracolumbar tuberculosis if the indications for this treatment are met.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCase-Control StudiesFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLumbar VertebraeMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesThoracic VertebraeTreatment OutcomeTuberculosis, SpinalYoung AdultAnterior combined with posterior approachAnterior-only approachPosterior-only approachThoracolumbar tuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID31337417
PMCPMC6651955

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Registered trials

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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.