SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2020
Prevalence of lumbar spinal stenosis in general and clinical populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
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, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 161 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
161 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 250 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genetic architecture of lumbar spinal stenosis.Nature communications · 2026Pooled it
- The Role of Electrophysiological Workup in Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis (LSCS): A Systematic Review.Spine · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of calcitonin on lumbar spinal stenosis.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2024Pooled it
- Transthyretin amyloidosis in patients with spinal stenosis who underwent spinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of pregabalin and gabapentin in spinal stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence of multimorbid degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis with knee or hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Pooled it
- Non-operative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication: an updated systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Discectomy versus Microendoscopic Discectomy for the Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Diffusion tensor imaging with fiber tracking provides a valuable quantitative and clinical evaluation for compressed lumbosacral nerve roots: 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 · 2021Pooled it
- The safety and effectiveness of lumbar transforaminal injection of sterile amniotic fluid filtrate compared to steroid for lumbosacral radicular pain due to spinal stenosis: a phase I/II double-blinded randomized trial.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2026Trial
- Validity and reliability of remote administration of the one-leg stand, timed up and go and 30-second sit-to-stand via video call in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis awaiting decompression surgery.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Trial
- Feasibility, Safety, and Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy Treatment for Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Trial
- Which lumbar spinal stenosis patients will improve with nonsurgical treatment? A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2025Trial
- Dual-media spinal endoscopy versus unilateral biportal endoscopy for single-level degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: a comparative study of mid-term 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
- Timing Matters: Preoperative Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection and Long-Term Outcomes Following Single-Level Posterior Lumbar Fusion.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- YouTube, TikTok, and Bilibili as sources of medical information on lumbar spinal stenosis: A cross-sectional content analysis study.Medicine · 2026Article
- Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Comprehensive Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Lumbar Decompression is Associated With Changes in Functional Transition Biomechanics and Neuromuscular Control During Sit-to-Stand in Degenerative Lumbar Stenosis.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- Comparing low and high recovery expectations among those with lumbar spinal stenosis: a network analysis.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2026Article
- Nonsurgical interventions for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Integrative medicine research · 2026Article
101 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo estimate the prevalence of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) in adults, identified by clinical symptoms and/or radiological criteria.
methodsSystematic review of the literature. Pooled prevalence estimates by care setting and clinical or radiological diagnostic criteria were calculated and plotted [PROSPERO ID: CRD42018109640].
resultsIn total, 41 papers reporting on 55 study samples were included. The overall risk of bias was considered high in two-thirds of the papers. The mean prevalence, based on a clinical diagnosis of LSS in the general population, was 11% (95% CI 4-18%), 25% (95% CI 19-32%) in patients from primary care, 29% (95% CI 22-36%) in patients from secondary care and 39% (95% CI 39-39%) in patients from mixed primary and secondary care. Evaluating the presence of LSS based on radiological diagnosis, the pooled prevalence was 11% (95% CI 5-18%) in the asymptomatic population, 38% (95% CI - 10 to 85%) in the general population, 15% (95% CI 13-18%) in patients from primary care, 32% (95% CI 22-41%) in patients from secondary care and 21% (95% CI 16-26%) in a mixed population from primary and secondary care.
conclusionsThe mean prevalence estimates based on clinical diagnoses vary between 11 and 39%, and the estimates based on radiological diagnoses similarly vary between 11 and 38%. The results are based on studies with high risk of bias, and the pooled prevalence estimates should therefore be interpreted with caution. With an growing elderly population, there is a need for future low risk-of-bias research clarifying clinical and radiological diagnostic criteria of lumbar spinal stenosis. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
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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.