Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31401738›Full record

ArticleActa neurochirurgica2019

Surgical techniques for degenerative cervical spine in Finland from 1999 to 2015.

Anna Kotkansalo, Antti Malmivaara, Merja Korajoki, Katariina Korhonen, Ville Leinonen

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta neurochirurgica, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Impact of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.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 · 2026
    Pooled it
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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

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Anna KotkansaloDivision of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurosurgery, Turku University Hospital, PB 52, 20521, Turku, Finland. anna.kotkansalo@tyks.fi.ORCID 0000-0002-3182-7786
Antti MalmivaaraCentre for Health and Social Economics, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Merja KorajokiCentre for Health and Social Economics, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Katariina KorhonenWelfare district of Forssa, Forssa, Finland.
Ville LeinonenUnit of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, University of Oulu and Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare · FIUniversity of Eastern Finland · FIUniversity of Turku · FI

Funding

Finnish Medical Foundation Eka-apurahaHospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa / Orton Research Foundation 9310/403
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the trends and regional variations in the operative techniques used for degenerative or rheumatoid cervical spine disease in Finland between 1999 and 2015.

methodsThe Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR) was searched for the data on all the primary operations for degenerative cervical spine disease (DCSD) or rheumatoid atlanto-axial subluxation (rAAS). Operative codes were used to identify the patients from the FHDR and combined with diagnosis codes to verify patient inclusion. The patients were classified into three groups: anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF), posterior decompression and fusion (PDF) and decompression.

resultsA total of 19,701 primary operations were included. The adjusted incidence of ACDF rose from 6.5 to 27.3 operations/100,000 adults. ACDF became the favoured technique in all the diagnostic groups except AAS, and by 2015, ACDF comprised 84.5% of the operations. The incidence of PDF for DCSD increased from 0.2 to 0.7/100,000 people. Solely decompressive operations declined from 13.7 to 4.0 operations/100,000 people. The regional differences in the incidence of operations were most marked in the incidence of ACDF, with overall incidences ranging from 11.2 to 37.0 operations/100,000. The distribution of the operative techniques used varied as well.

conclusionsBetween 1999 and 2015, the operative techniques used for DCSD changed from prevalently decompressive to utilising ACDF in 68.8 to 91.0% of the operations, depending on the treating hospital. ACDF became the most commonly applied technique for all degenerative diagnoses except AAS.

Indexed as

Cervical VertebraeDecompression, SurgicalDiskectomyFinlandHumansSpinal DiseasesSpinal FusionDegenerative cervical spineIncidenceNationwide register studyOperative techniquesRegional differences

Identifiers

PMID31401738
PMCPMC6739280
OpenAlexW2968600922

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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.